


Whispers Of The Dead

by Loeka



Category: Bleach, Naruto
Genre: Crossover (kind of), Gen, Many Naruto Expies, Other, Prequel, Self-Insert, Slow Build, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:15:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 115,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6571159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loeka/pseuds/Loeka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Really, her, a Shinigami? What kind of ridiculous notion was that?</p><p>(AKA, The Bleach-AU With Naruto Characters No One Asked For)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introducing Background

"You fucking brat! I'm gonna rip your spine out and shove it down your throat!"

Kouga ran. Past crumbling shacks, mud slipping underneath her feet, almost making her stumble but she didn't fall, _couldn't_. If she did, she'd die.

Tightening her arms around her precious cargo she _focused_ , rounded a corner and _jumped_.

The ground fell away, air rushing past, and for one timeless moment Kouga flew. Then gravity took hold and with a crash she landed on a roof, the misshapen wood barely managing to hold her weight. Losing her balance, she tumbled forward, desperately twisting, managing to break her fall on her shoulder. Pain stabbed, sharp and fierce, making her choke back an instinctive cry. Kouga froze, not daring to move a single muscle.

Silence filled the air, broken only by her labored breathing and thundering heart. Multiple footsteps grew louder, abruptly stopping, the faintest hint of power spreading out, too close, _too close_. Kouga pushed her own power as far as it could go and held her breath.

A moment, an eternity passed. Then a furious growl sounded, voices cursing viciously, graphic threats that filled her with dread. They transformed into the sounds of running once more, growing fainter with each panicked beat of her heart.

When they finally faded completely Kouga _gasped_ , body screaming at her to breathe. Long moments passed as she continued wheezing softly, concentrating on regulating her breathing, trying to will the shivers wracking her body away. And when she finally did, when her mind at last began to accept it was over...

Relief, almost painful in it's intensity, rushed through her body, followed by an overwhelming, delirious joy. Slowly, carefully she looked down at the treasure she'd managed to obtain, hardly able to believe it when it was still there, that it was real.

There, nestled safely inside her arms, was a sack a little under half her size, filled to the brim with apples.

She'd actually gotten away with it. Her body screamed at her for the abuse she'd put it through, but oh, _oh_ , it had been _worth_ it.

And suddenly she had to laugh, hysterical giggles escaping her control as she hugged her price in sheer delight.

With this she'd have enough food for _weeks!_

* * *

Once upon a time there was a girl.

She was born to two loving parents, was an older sister to a sibling. Their family wasn't rich, but they weren't poor either. The girl grew from toddler to teen, became a young adult full of hopes and dreams. She went to elementary school, high school and college, and was a kind, if rather lazy person. Selfish in the way only the unknowing privileged could be.

She was, in a word, _average_ , no different from any other around her.

And then she died.

Even now, when she didn't have any concrete memories left of that time, when that past knowledge was purely intellectual, Kouga marveled at the carefree girl she'd once been. Most of the time she didn't think about it, too focused on the present to worry about the past. But when she'd been younger, she had sometimes wondered if she hadn't dreamed it all.

Except back then, she'd see something, hear an almost familiar sound, and fractured images would've come rushing back. French fries and gravy, asphalt and trucks. A world full of marvels and _overflowing_ with food.

In her earliest years, Kouga had often asked herself if she wasn't crazy, all of it a hallucination conjured by her twisted mind. But it _felt_ real, almost no different from the memories she'd made here. The only difference was that they were fuzzier, fading more rapidly with every year that passed.

Yet she never forgot completely.

In the end, she'd decided it didn't matter. Maybe she'd been that girl once, naive and full of hope and dreams. Maybe she'd had family and friends, had never known any true hardship. Maybe she'd even had a different name, the syllables feeling odd and clunky to her when she tried to form them now.

Whatever the case may be, it didn't change the fact that she was now Kouga, an Inuzuri gutter rat. And those memories of an easy life, full of happiness and food, were just that. Memories. True or not, they didn't help her in the present.

Because in the present, Kouga had to scrabble to get enough food, her hunger never truly satisfied. Each day was a battle, each sunrise a victory. The girl she'd been wouldn't have been able to survive.

Kouga could.

That was the only thing that really mattered.

Kouga mostly lived in the tops of tall enough trees, or in small, crumbling shacks, the pathetic things not worth being called huts. Those rooms constantly stank, flimsy walls unable to hold the odors from outside at bay. In part because Kouga never picked any shacks without multiple small windows she refused to close. She would _never_ allow to be cornered, had seen what happened to those who did. She would _not_ end up that way.

Her always temporary lodges weren't home, just places to rest, to hide. Home had long since been destroyed, alongside the woman she'd called mother. Not her mom, but mother nonetheless.

Sometimes Kouga took a moment to close her eyes, trying to picture the woman who had given birth to her that second time. Who had fed her, played with her, had loved her just as much as her mom had. Every time she did, it became just a little harder to bring up mother's image, so many details already gone. Those first years, despite the confusion and fear, despite being an adult trapped in a too small body that wouldn't, _couldn't,_ listen to her commands...

They were the happiest times of Kouga's life, peaceful and carefree in a way she could only dream of now. The only worries she'd had, had been whether or not mother would understand she was crying –softly, always softly, loud cries one of the few things that had been able to truly panic mother– because she had been hungry and not because she'd wanted attention. Because Kouga had been hungry _a lot_.

Yet strangely enough she'd never soiled herself, never even felt a hint of having to relieve herself. She never did. That had been the oddest thing to get used to.

Sometimes Kouga wondered if she was even human anymore.

Mother was why she'd taken the name Kouga as her own, always calling her that in a voice overflowing with love, one of the clearest memories she still had. Back then, Kouga had lived a simple life, relearning how to crawl, walk and speak, the language which had seemed so foreign and incomprehensible slowly gaining meaning. Until she'd been about two years old –physically at least, she had no idea how much actual time had passed– her life had been as close to perfect as was possible, even if she hadn't realized it at the time.

But Inuzuri was a harsh place, and mother had been so very pretty.

One night mother had woken her in a panic, loud voices outside piercing Kouga's sleep fogged mind. She'd been pushed towards the corner of their shack, mother dumping ragged blankets and threadbare clothing on her and telling her _don't move and stay quiet little fang, whatever you hear, whatever happens, don't move and_ _ **stay quiet.**_

It was the last time she saw her mother alive.

Kouga had heard the strange men, the door crashing open, mother screaming and crying. Knew with knowledge no child could have possessed just what they'd done to her.

She had _felt_ the exact moment mother had died.

Afterwards it had been so very  _quiet_.

Through it all she hadn't made a sound, had been so terrified she hadn't done _anything_ , even when mother had started sobbing and screaming. And yet it was the men's grunts and moans, the sounds full of _pleasure,_ she still heard in her nightmares.

Kouga had hidden like a coward, and mother had paid the price.

When she'd finally crawled out from beneath that pile of fabrics, her innocence, every illusion about herself forever lost, she'd found lifeless eyes accusing her, unnaturally twisted limbs. And red. So much red. On the floor, the walls, drowning her vision, the smell embedding itself into her brain, unable to see beyond–

Kouga had run and had never looked back.

Life after that was harsh and cold, consisting solely of scrounging enough food together to survive. Of learning to be faster, stronger, making sure she always had a way out. To never be caught as mother had been.

And in the moments between, those rare times when she didn't have to fight just to stay alive, she'd learned about the strange world she now resided in.

She discovered that nearly everyone didn't need to eat, not like she did. Food was a luxury to them, not a necessity. She learned how the dead would eventually vanish in a scattering of odd glimmers, strange energy dancing across her skin. She found out this world was called Soul Society, and the land she lived on was the Rukongai, ruled by a place called Seireitei. How the land was separated in 320 Districts, 80 for each cardinal direction, with her living in the Southern 78th District specifically, called Inuzuri. She was told that no matter how bad it was here, apparently it was even worse in the last two Districts.

She also quickly learned it was _not_ a good idea to try to cross Districts, at least into the higher ones. Which mean any place aside from the direction the sun rose.

Because the invisible borders surrounding Inuzuri were patrolled by guardians in black. And they were ruthless monsters without any kind of mercy.

Eventually, she'd found out these guardians –jailers– were called Shinigami and they had magical powers.

They were not afraid to use them.

Ayame, an old woman who had managed to survive by simply not moving down from the top of an ancient tree she'd one day climbed, and who had had been so impossibly kind, freely sharing her shelter whenever Kouga wanted to stay, had taught her much of what she knew. Ayame had been willing to answer almost any question Kouga could think of, though there were so many Ayame didn't know the answer to.

She'd never explained how she'd learned the answers to those she could.

Ayame told her about the reapers, how they were soldiers, given every wealth and luxury in return for their service. How they were given free reign to do whatever they wanted as long as they prevented people from leaving Inuzuri. Except if they went towards that one direction. To the place apparently even worse than this.

They were _dangerous,_ and Ayame had warned with haunted, broken eyes that she should _never_ allow herself to be caught by one.

Kouga had listened.

Ayame also taught her about one of the most curious aspects of this world. Not everyone aged at the same speed.

When Kouga had first met her, the kind old woman still had a few streaks of brown shooting through her gray mane, possessed a voice containing just the slightest trace of youth. But as time passed, her hair grew completely gray, the wrinkles etched into her scar riddled face turning even deeper, body becoming more frail, voice turning scratchy and weak. Until one day she went to sleep and simply... never woke up.

Kouga had looked nearly exactly the same as when she'd first met her. She knew, even without any sort of mirror, because she'd only gotten a little bigger. Even her hair had still mostly been the same, Kouga only having to cut it once in all the time she'd known Ayame.

It was strange and unsettling, throwing her entire worldview off-kilter. The memories of mother, which had seemed so timeless, yet which she had assumed were only a year or two at the most...

Maybe it wasn't so strange she'd forgotten all but the most basic knowledge of her first life.

Eventually she'd shrugged it off. It was still weird, but it didn't really change anything.

Something else did.

Kouga had noticed she was strong of course, and fast, some sort of odd power flowing through her. But it wasn't until the first time she managed to outrun three grown men that she realized just how impossible her strength was. She'd had the body of a toddler, and she'd left those adult men in the dust. It was bewildering. It was _exhilarating_. She didn't know how it was possible, but she sure as fuck knew how to use it.

Except afterwards, she'd been so _hungry_.

But she'd still carefully started pushing her limits, lifting heavier and heavier weights, trying to run just a little faster, jump that little bit higher, the strange energy inside her making her perform superhuman feats. What's more, she could actually use her power to sense people around her, her range growing more refined as she kept testing her skills.

And every time she thought she'd hit the ceiling, could go no further... she did.

If her appetite didn't turn _ravenous_ every time she pushed herself, she could've easily gathered enough to satisfy it. Unfortunately, even keeping her power use to the minimum, her hunger only grew, slowly but surely forcing her to scavenge more and more food. And in Inuzuri, there were very few places where food was present.

Very, _very_ few.

If there was any food –which she swore seemed to simply appear in random places at random times, but always when nobody was looking– it it was quickly taken by the quickest, strongest or luckiest people in the area as a highly priced luxury item. Food _never_ went unclaimed for long.

So Kouga learned to ignore the hunger constantly gnawing at her stomach, learned to recognize the signs of immediate starvation.

Learned how far she was willing to go to stay alive.

Kouga survived, and life continued on.

Time passed, years turning into decades. Or what she assumed were decades at least. Kouga didn't really pay attention to the passage of time, no one in Inuzuri did. She watched those rare people who managed to survive long enough grow old and die, saw new people simply appear from one day to the next, most without any memories.

Most didn't survive very long.

It had been Ayame who'd told her that sometimes there were people who spoke of a life before this one, and Kouga had later confirmed that fact with her own observations. Yet if those rare people who remembered managed to survive long enough, they eventually always forgot that life, unable to recall even the simple fact they hadn't always lived here. They didn't even manage to keep hold of the intellectual knowledge like Kouga had.

Kouga sometimes wondered why she hadn't forgotten everything as well.

Rarely, _very_ rarely, an unlucky person from a higher District would stumble into her own, only left with tales of a better life, a better place. No matter how small the improvements were. They became just as trapped as everyone else, unable to cross the borders guarded by the brutal Shinigami. Unable to return to that better place.

Kouga didn't like observing those people. After all, life might be a little better in those Districts, but that didn't mean anything to her. Those stories only offered false dreams.

But life hadn't been bad all the time. After Ayame, Kouga had eventually made a few other friends. People who aged just as slow as her, who even needed to eat like she did, though always so much less.

Eventually they all died.

Shy and silent Mizore hadn't been fast enough, proud and laughing Fubuki hadn't been strong enough and Nadare... Nadare, rough yet so very sweet, had been the worst of them all, sacrificing himself so she would live, betrayed by someone they'd both _trusted_ –

After that, Kouga had decided she didn't want friends anymore.

They only hurt.

And throughout it all, she continued to grow at an _excruciatingly_ slow pace. Even now, when so much time had passed, her body still looked no older than a small child. Sometimes she feared she would stay like this forever.

But even if she did, she'd deal with it, as she had everything else thrown her way.

Surviving was what she did best.


	2. Offering A Choice

Kouga ignored the agonized screams a short distance away, looking down from the top of the tree at the handful of people hastily scurrying around, all of them moving out of the way of a desperately fleeing man with a madly laughing woman chasing him, her expression completely unhinged.

Kouga wondered what she should do today. Her recent haul meant food would be in abundance for a short while, and it offered the rare opportunity to relax. Taking another bite out of her meal for the day, savoring the delicious taste and crisp texture, she pondered this dilemma.

The problem with having so much free time, she decided, was that she had no idea what to do with it. Except for training she didn't really have any... hobbies she supposed, and even that was born mostly out of necessity. Though she did enjoy it. People watching was another thing she enjoyed, but after a few days of nothing else, she'd gotten bored of that as well.

Leaning back against the trunk, looking up towards the sky through the foliage while, Kouga idly wondered how she should proceed. The very fact that she was bored happened so rarely she honestly didn't know how to deal with it. Munching on her apple, she asked herself what she wanted to do. Depressingly enough, she couldn't answer the simple question. Kouga let out an annoyed sigh, her own indecisiveness thoroughly irritating. This shouldn't be so hard.

She frowned, sighed once more and finally decided to go train. If nothing else, she would actually be doing something instead of moping around. And how sad was that? Moping because she had too much free time. If Fubuki were here–

She swallowed the last of her apple, threw the remaining stalk away, licked her fingers clean started climbing down. She'd go find a place to practice with less people than here.

* * *

Wind rushed past, sky so close she could almost touch it and Kouga was flying, was _free_ , just for one breathless moment...

Then she fell, ground rushing to catch her, punishing her for leaving it's domain.

Kouga laughed out loud, didn't even try to suppress the urge, no one around to hear it. She loved the feeling of weightlessness, the brief illusion of absolute liberty. Jumping was her favorite part of training, and she'd decided to indulge herself by doing nothing else. The maze of small fractures littering the ground was a testament to how long she'd been fooling around.

She hit the ground feet first, pushing her power outwards in a way words could not describe, a spiderweb of cracks forming under her feet, her energy breaking her fall. Exhilaration filled her and she decided her impromptu game of tag the sky was worth the extra meals she would now need today. It was a pity she couldn't use her powers like this all the time.

Grinning wildly she crouched down, concentrated, prepared to leap upwards once more– and froze.

Her blood to ice as she she abruptly sensed an unquenchable hunger, so much worse than anything she could ever feel, even at her most starved. Immediately she pushed down her energy as much as possible, an inhuman roar tearing through to the air only a moment after, Kouga running towards the trees at the edge of the clearing, desperately hoping the beast hadn't sensed her, that it was hunting someone else, not her, please, not her!

She only had a fraction of warning, twisted energy caressing skin– Kouga _threw_ herself to the side, razor talons ripping through the space she'd occupied a moment before.

Scrabbling for purchase, she didn't even have time to look at the beast, concentrated only on getting up, gathering power, getting away, don't keep laying there, _get up!_

Claws dug into her flesh, making her scream, the talons grasping her very bones, pinning down her leg, agony shredding her focus, and with tears in her eyes she looked up at the nightmare holding her captive.

A bleached mask filled her vision, grinning with undisguised glee, golden eyes full of bone-chilling lust, leisurely inspecting its prey.

"My, my. What a delightful surprise." It's voice was was underlined with a thousand screams, grating across her mind. "I never expected to find such a strong spirit here. You will taste... delicious."

Kouga didn't think, conscious thought gone. She focused, channeled power into her free leg and _kicked_.

With a crash her strike connected, the monster screeching as it released her, mask fracturing where she'd hit it. Kouga wasted no time, managing to scramble to her feet, energy send into her leg, halting the bleeding, Kouga forcing through the dizziness assaulting her, power coursing through her. She _ran_ , pushing herself to her limits, speed making her surroundings blur.

It wasn't enough.

An enraged screech was all the warning she got, before something slammed into her midriff. _Hard_.

It knocked her off her feet, tossed her through the air like a ragged doll. _Like she was flying_ whispered a small, hysterical part of her. The crash made that part of her shut up, body bouncing across the ground, agony obliterating any semblance of thought.

Dazed, she saw the beast approach, it's long, serpentine tail whipping behind it's feathered body, avian beak twisted in a sneer as it held a paw over its cracked mask.

"You'll pay for that!" it snarled at her, it's inhumanly layered voice making Kouga snap back to herself, sheer terror clearing the last of her scattered thoughts, making the pain assaulting her insignificant.

She channeled power, commanded herself to move, to _run_ , but only managed a weak crawl. It made the monster smile, malicious joy dancing across it's mask as it looked at her pathetic attempts to flee. A bone chilling laugh filled the air as it started to pursue her oh so slowly.

"Oh yes, very strong." it _purred_ , the sounds of its voice nauseating. "I think I'll devour you... slowly."

Her breathing sped up, mind blank as the monster kept coming closer—no, please, she didn't want to die  _wanted to live to live!_

"Light my Every Path, Hiraishin!"

 _Power_ , lightning flashing, blinding her, forcing her to close her eyes, the Hollow's agonized shrieks piercing her ears–

Silence.

Harsh panting broke it, her own Kouga realized. She immediately opened her eyes, unwilling to believe what her sixth sense was telling her, panic climbing even higher than before. Yet she wasn't wrong. Where the Hollow had stood was nothing but a scorched crater, still smoldering faintly, the beast completely gone.

And in front of it, a Shinigami holding a wicked trident, still crackling with so much _power_.

The man, tall and big, his very presence oppressive, looked down at her with vivid blue eyes. Then he frowned deeply, becoming even more intimidating. Kouga felt a whimper escape, panic clawing at her mind as he took a single step towards her. Would she die at the hands of this reaper instead of being eaten?

Would she be forced through something worse?

The Shinigami halted, frowning even more deeply. Then he sighed and flicked his wrist, that gleaming trident transforming into a deceptively ordinary sword, his power pulled back. But she could still sense it. And it was _overwhelming_.

She stood no chance whatsoever against power like that.

"It's okay, you're safe now." His voice was soft. Kouga was frozen.

The reaper looked at her, seemingly awaiting a response. Kouga kept silent, couldn't have spoken even if she'd wanted to. It made the Shinigami grumble, a hand coming up to tousle blonde hair. He took another step forward and Kouga forced herself another inch back, instinctively channeling energy into her wounds to keep from bleeding out.

The reaper halted again, a frustrated expression appearing.

"I'm not going to hurt you, you know." His voice was still so _gentle_ , a sharp contrast to his expression. It only served to make her panic grow.

The reaper came closer yet again, and her immediate crawling away invoked a noise of disgust from him. Abandoning subtlety, the Shinigami blurred forward, hands holding down her unshredded leg, halting her movements. Kouga watched with wide eyes as the reaper leaned forward, too close, _too close!_

She jerked back. And flailed as she lost her balance, the grip on her leg unyielding as stone, making her fall flat on her back.

 _Pain_ , her ribs screaming at her as the impact stole her breath, a wheezing whimper escaping. Snapping her head up, Kouga pushed through the agony and dizziness, keeping her eyes on the reaper.

Annoyed blue eyes pierced her own. She shivered brutally and honestly couldn't tell if it was from fear or from having so much raw power near.

It was probably from both.

"Kid, stop moving, you'll only hurt yourself even more. Besides, you wouldn't be able to outrun me anyway."

True, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. As she tensed to do just that once more, the Shinigami let out another aggravated noise, before apparently deciding to ignore it, looking down at her captive leg instead.

He lifted one hand up, moving his palm over the worst of the gashes. His power twisted and _his hand started glowing!_ Kouga didn't think, simply reacted, frantically pushing power into her arms and hitting the reaper with everything she had.

Her strike missed his throat, connecting with the Shinigami's jaw instead, making the reaper's head snap to the side, his grip finally loosening and Kouga wasted no time in scrabbling as far away as she could manage, mindless terror helping her push her body further than otherwise possible.

Keeping her eyes on the danger, always look at danger, she saw the Shinigami gingerly touch his jaw, a contemplative gleam in his eyes. It made Kouga crawl away even faster, something she hadn't thought herself capable off.

But it was still so _slow_.

The reaper got to his feet and Kouga stilled, tensing in preparation of the next assault, ready to hit the reaper if he made another move. But he just kept standing there, watching her with that thoughtful look. It was playing havoc on her mind.

"...You're pretty strong." His voice, though still gentle, now carried a surprised note as well. "And your control is remarkable." He looked _fascinated_. Kouga did not like that, not one bit.

Thankfully, he didn't come any closer again. So she continued her painfully slow retreat under his watchful gaze.

"But really, isn't this a little dramatic? I just want to heal you." he casually said and Kouga couldn't help a disbelieving scoff from escaping. Heal her. Right.

A crooked grin appeared, turning his visage surprisingly... kind.

"I really do." he repeated. And as she briefly felt a disbelieving grimace escape her control, the Shinigami actually had the audacity to _laugh_ , merriment filling the air as he threw back his head. It was terrifying.

Kouga took the opportunity to widen the distance between them some more.

When he looked down again and saw her new position he simply grinned wider. Then he blurred forward once again, obliterating the progress she'd made. Of course.

He continued to watch her, standing much too close, making her crane her neck upwards just too keep him within her sight. But thankfully he made no move to touch her.

Not that that actually meant anything, as he'd just demonstrated.

This close, she could see the reaper's amusement even more clearly. It made Kouga want to hit him again.

It made her want to curl in a ball and cry.

"How about a deal?" Even his voice sounded disgustingly cheerful. And he looked _honest_. Kouga barely managed to suppress a whimper. "I heal those wounds of yours, and you don't hit me again."

Really, wasn't the fact that she was crawling away _with a shredded leg_ and _cracked ribs_ not a clear enough signal she did not want him near? Let alone touch her.

Please, _please_ don't let him touch her.

Her thoughts must've shown on her face, because the Shinigami smiled. Ruefully.

"Come on." he coaxed. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Did... did he actually ask that? Looking at the reaper's hopeful face she realized that yes. Yes he did.

"...You could boil my blood or electrocute me." Kouga had to respond, the question too ridiculous not to.

At her answer the reaper's eyes widened briefly in surprise, before a sunny smile appeared.

"She speaks! I was beginning to think you were mute." Then he faltered, bewilderment replacing his cheer. "Wait, what? What kind of answer is that? I would never do that! What kind of monster do you think I am?" he sounded so affronted Kouga was almost tempted to believe him. Except not really, she'd seen those exact situations happen.

Shinigami were merciless and cruel.

The reaper continued to grumble under his breath, hands running through his hair, making the wild mane even messier. Kouga kept watching him warily, gathering energy to hit him instead of uselessly trying to flee. She hated her own weakness.

Eventually the reaper sighed, long and deep. He gave her a steely gaze, resolve making the blue burn.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to heal you before you leave. And I'm not lying." he tacked on at her disbelieving look, Kouga once more unable to stop the expression from escaping. "Besides, what do you have to lose? Either I'm lying and then it wouldn't matter whether you gave permission or not, or I'm telling the truth and you won't have to spend the rest of your life limping around." he continued in a light tone.

Kouga resisted the urge to cry. Because that actually _made sense_.

"Can't you just leave?" Kouga begged, knowing the gesture was useless but trying anyway.

"Nope!" The happy answer made her want to close her eyes. And cry. She hadn't thought so.

"...Fine." she relented. He was right after all. If he wanted to, he could crush her as easily as a bug. And she had no chance of escaping either.

If the reaper wanted to play games, there was nothing she could do. Hopefully, if she cooperated, she'd survive.

Please, _please_ let her survive.

The reaper send another sunny smile her way before he crouched down and put his hands on her wounded leg again. Kouga managed to resist the instinctive urge to kick his teeth in.

His power twisted once more, a muted green glow coating his hands. Kouga couldn't stop herself from trembling as his hand neared.

He touched her.

 _Every_ hair on her body shot up straight at the foreign power invading her own. It took all the willpower she possessed not to jerk away, both mentally and physically, and the only reason she didn't, was because she could feel the Shinigami's energy  _heal_ her, soothing and warm.

A  _reaper_ was _healing_ her. Kouga's eyes remained locked on his focused expression, her mind concentrating on the way his energy pulsed and twisted in utterly bizarre ways, weaving through her own. But she saw from the corner of her vision that her flesh was actually _knitting together_.

Eventually, there were only bloody stains and shallow scratches left left where a forever crippling wound had been before.

And her own diminished power reserves had been restored as well. No, more than that, they had been _completely_ restored. In a way Kouga could never manage on her own, not with her chosen diet.

She felt more powerful than she could ever recall being. And it didn't matter in the slightest.

Not when compared to the reaper's own power.

"There. All better." the Shinigami said with a very satisfied grin. Then he threw a pointed look her way. "That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

Kouga ignored the question, slowly testing movement instead. Aside from lingering soreness, her leg was as good as new. It was... extremely impressive actually.

It made her want to flee even more, because why had a _reaper_ healed her? What kind of game was he playing?

Did he want to break her himself?

The thought made a wheezing whimper escape before she could stop it.

"Here, let me." Another twisting of power, glowing hands appearing in front of her vision once more, and Kouga _threw_ herself backwards, the reaction completely automatic.

"Oh come on!" the reaper exclaimed, looking completely exasperated. "I just healed you, show a little faith!"

But _why_ had he healed her? What did he want to do to her?

Every part of Kouga was screaming at her to run, _run, **run!**_

Except she wouldn't be able to outrun the reaper, healed leg and energy levels restored or not. Not with power like his.

She was trapped.

Kouga stopped moving, suppressing another whimper. The Shinigami read it for the surrender it was. With a twist of energy, muted green filled his palms once more. As he put them over her ribs, she could feel his power thread through hers again, going much deeper than the last time. And once more she felt his energy _heal_ her.

The Shinigami had actually been telling the truth. It was mind boggling.

It was _terrifying_.

This time it took longer, pain lifting much slower.

"My name is Namikaze Minato. What's yours?" The question startled her, breaking the tense silence that had fallen. Tense on her part anyway, the Shinigami looked completely relaxed.

With power like that, she would be too.

The reaper –Minato– wore an open, curious expression, and Kouga desperately didn't want to tell him, her name the only thing truly her own.

But he was a _reaper_.

Yet even though he was a reaper, even though she already knew she was going to answer...

Kouga hesitated.

At her continued silence another rueful smile appeared across his face.

"Quiet one, aren't you?" he said, soft and calm and... fond.

Kouga felt completely off balance. So she hesitated in answering once more.

The Shinigami chuckled softly, his vivid blue eyes bizarrely warm as they continued to meet her own. Then Kouga finally felt his power pull back, untangling from hers as he sat back on his heels.

"All done." he proclaimed with a kind smile.

Kouga placed a hand on her chest, pushing down slightly while breathing in deep. Not even a hint of pain.

Kouga _really_ wished she knew how to do that. It would make life _so much_ easier.

She warily watched the Shinigami stand up and stretch his hand out towards her. She ignored the gesture, got to her feet on her own and marveled at how easy it was. It was almost as if the attack had never happened.

The reaper pulled back his arm, shook his head and continued to look at her _fondly_. It was the most bizarre thing that had ever happened to her and Kouga still expected him to attack her, just for fun. But until now, he hadn't. He'd helped her, saved her life in all honesty, and even patched her up to boot.

"...Thanks." she said, and it wasn't just because he was a reaper. She actually meant it as well.

The Shinigami looked surprised, then pleased, hand reaching for her head.

Kouga immediately jumped backwards, every tension back because _what was he going to do to her?_

The Shinigami's hand wavered in the air, before dropping awkwardly. He made no move to come closer.

And Kouga hesitated once more. He'd said she could leave after he'd healed her, and if he'd actually been telling the truth, as impossible as that sounded...

The smart thing to do would be to run and never look back. It's what she should do. Right now.

And yet...

"Bye." After his help she could at least afford to be polite. She tensed, preparing to run.

"Wait!" his shout made her freeze, panic back in full force.

The worst part was that it would still be futile to run.

The Shinigami opened his mouth, closed it, made an inarticulate, frustrated sound and ruffled his hair as he closed his eyes with a grimace. When they snapped open again the blue was even more intense, managing to somehow make her terror rise even higher.

"The Shin'ou Academy's entrance exams are held in about five months. You should enter."

That was... so unexpected that for a moment she could only stare at him in astonishment. Then she snorted loudly, gave him a look that clearly said what she thought of that idea, and left in a burst of power, pushing herself to the limit. The reaper didn't follow, his presence growing more distant with every step she took. The reaper had... actually been telling the truth.

Literally unbelievable.

But really, her, a Shinigami? What kind of ridiculous notion was that?


	3. Making A Decision

She was an idiot. She had to be. It was the only explanation as to why she was still thinking about what that blonde reaper had said.

Hiding inside her current shack, another apple in hand, this one nearly too rotten to eat, Kouga felt incredibly annoyed with herself. Weeks. She'd been mulling over this for _weeks_. Yet no matter what she tried, she couldn't get the words out of her head. _You should join_ he'd said, as if she hadn't known, hadn't ever thought about it. How ridiculous.

 _Of course_ she had, had known for ages she could. She certainly had enough power. But Kouga had seen what Shinigami did, cutting down people trying to cross Districts with gleeful abandon, making their death as agonizing as possible, savoring their pain. Or kill them with chilling efficiency, cold, unfeeling eyes watching their handiwork dispassionately.

Or worse things. Far worse things.

And while they also killed the beasts sometimes roaming Inuzuri, it was the reapers who were the bigger threat. At least with Hollows you knew they only wanted to eat you.

Kouga did _not_ want to become a Shinigami, period.

Because if she did, if they gave her food and safe shelter in return... she knew she'd do the same. She'd carry out every order, no matter how inhumane, would drown her hands in blood if that was what it took. She'd hate herself for it, but Kouga held no illusions about herself. She knew she would do all that and more. It was better to just remove the temptation completely.

But that blonde reaper...

Letting out a sound of disgust, she bit into her meal again with a vengeance, imagining it was his head instead. It made her feel childishly satisfied.

Stupid Shinigami, making her confused and uncertain.

Because Minato had been unlike any reaper she'd ever known –well, observed or fled from– Either they were sadists, or they didn't care about the peasants beneath their notice. They didn't help, not like Minato had. He'd been pushy and arrogant as all Shinigami were, but he'd also healed her. And when she'd run, even when he'd clearly wanted her to stay, he'd let her leave. That had been even odder than his help.

If he could be a Shinigami and still act like that, then why couldn't she? That was the heart of her dilemma.

It had been... not easy, but tolerable, to ignore the lure of enough food when it meant turning into a monster. But if that wasn't true, if she could still follow her own morals –the few she still had anyway– _and_ have the luxury of satisfying her hunger whenever she wanted...

The temptation wasn't just immense, it was _maddening_.

The problem was that she wasn't certain. Minato had been the only reaper she'd ever met who acted differently. Did that mean he was the exception? That if she joined, all her fears would come true and she'd become the very thing she'd always hated?

As she finished the last of her meal, flicking the stalk away and licking her fingers clean, Kouga finally came to a decision. It couldn't hurt to go see what all the fuss was about. Just because she went to check it out didn't mean she had to join, right?

Right.

* * *

Even though Kouga didn't really keep track of time, it was impossible to miss the upcoming Shinigami Exams, no matter that this was only the third time it had happened. It was the only time reapers didn't kill the people who tried to cross the borders.

It was the only time people were allowed to go to the higher Districts.

The first time, when Ayame had explained what was going on, she'd briefly thought to use the opportunity to flee Inuzuri. Only Ayame's warning had prevented her from trying.

And it was a _very_ good thing she had, because the Shinigami branded each person wanting to pass instead of killing them. They used that brand to make sure everyone returned to their "rightful place" afterwards, using their magic in devastatingly efficient ways.

That first time, Kouga had seen a man, his brand different than the ones given to those from Inuzuri, running towards the east with a panicked expression.

His head had _exploded_. The next day she'd learned that was the moment the borders had closed once more.

Kouga had decided it most most definitely wasn't worth the risk to try.

Yet now here she stood, waiting to receive her very own brand. It made her every hackle rise, but she didn't move away as the reaper in front of her brought the stamp down on her cheek, a strangely pulsing and foreign energy immediately entwining with her own. No matter how hard Kouga tried to keep her power out of reach.

Seeing as this was one of the _very_ few times she hadn't managed to keep her own energy from connecting to another power, she was understandably freaked out by this. She didn't show it though.

Not when a reaper was watching her.

"There you go sweetheart." the Shinigami said with a bright, fake smile, as if she hadn't beheaded a trespasser with an expression of utter apathy a while ago. Kouga had seen her do it.

Kouga resisted the urge to wipe at the slimy thing on her cheek, oily energy burrowing into her own in an incredibly unnerving way. And not just because of what she knew it could do to her. Instead, she kept her face impassive, the reaper's smile faltering at her silence, before quickly returning, even brighter than before and so obviously fake.

"Good luck! Don't forget to get back in time." She obviously didn't think Kouga would make it. But that didn't matter and Kouga forced herself to look away from the reaper after gaining enough distance. Then she took her very first step on Southern 68th soil.

Embarrassingly enough, her heart sped up and she felt her cheeks flush, excitement making them glow. Kouga knew Inuzuri, every clearing, path, hut, stream and tree. Knew which areas to avoid, the best places to hide. But she'd never left it's boundaries, confined by invisible walls. Yet now she was in a completely new place, everything unknown. Even though it looked no different, not yet at least, she knew it was, and that was enough to make her feel an unfamiliar sense of anticipation.

The fear was familiar though.

Hefting her threadbare blanket, tied around the small amount of food she'd managed to scrounge together, a little higher over her shoulder, Kouga was filled a mixture of fear, dread and excitement. If nothing else, she would finally see what the other Districts were like. If she didn't join the Academy, she would at least have gotten... a vacation? She supposed that was the closest comparison she could make.

Yet part of her whispered that wouldn't be a good thing.

Not when it hurt so much worse to have a dream ripped away than to never have one at all.

* * *

Kouga sat down the branch, placed her full pack of food in her lap, and looked out towards the towering walls stretching across the horizon as far as the eye could see. She kept switching between sheer, unadulterated delight and dark, raging _fury_.

Her journey had been fantastic, surpassing her wildest dreams. She'd walked through meadows filled with flowers, followed rivers leading to huge lakes, had hiked across an actual _mountain_. She'd watched entire towns and even cities pass by, slowly transforming with each one she passed. The first two Districts she'd passed had been just as bad as her own of course, Kouga on highest guard every time she neared people. Doing her best to avoid detection, staying out of sight, power use kept to the bare minimum. Trying to stretch the food she'd managed to bring with her for as long as possible. Scavenging for more when it ran out.

But as she'd gone higher, that had started to change. The third District she'd entered had looked so much better than her own. A place where there was almost enough food to go around, where people _didn't_ kill each other for it.

A place where people didn't kill each other for other reasons either. A place where killing was uncommon, not the rule.

That had been the most drastic change. But after that, she soon she came to places where people wore shoes, roads with houses solidly built, neatly arranged next to each other, the streets clean in a way she'd forgotten they could be. She'd seen places _selling_ food, money seeming to abruptly spring into existence. And the people in those places were simply... showcasing food out in the open, without any fear of someone simply taking it. What's more, people _actually didn't take it_. They _paid_ for it.

It had been so easy just to take. So easy to gather _enough food_.

And the entire time Kouga had looked on with wonder. She still had the objective knowledge this was how a normal society was supposed to work, but she'd been living in Inuzuri for so long...

Objectively she understood. Emotionally she... didn't.

Strange how the things she'd always thought would feel familiar were the things she had the most trouble with. Strange to realize just how much she'd truly forgotten. She still had the inexplicable knowledge that this was "normal", yet when she tried to recall specific memories, tried to recall how she was supposed to act in a place like this... the knowledge wasn't there.

So Kouga had observed what should've been normal with wide eyes, feeling as though she was in a completely different world, constantly experiencing a mixture of bewilderment, disbelief and delight.

And fury. So much fury.

It wasn't _fair._ And even though she'd known for a long time that life never was, that didn't stop her bitter rage from growing.

Here she was, on the edge of the Southern 2nd District. A _city_ with artfully build houses, where streets were perfectly straight and paved, where people –so many _people_ – wore bright and finely decorated clothes, carefully crafted socks and shoes. Where there were fucking _restaurants!_

And if she chose not to become a Shinigami, if she decided she didn't want to become another mindless drone, just live a "normal" life... she would be forced back into a constant fight for survival. Condemned to her fate just because of her place of birth. An eternal punishment for no crime committed.

It wasn't _fair!_

Stupid Minato, this was all his fault.

As she sat in a tree in one of the many parks – _parks!_ – dotting the city, Kouga already knew what she would do. She hadn't seen the Academy yet, hadn't crossed that final border, but she knew. She would join the Shinigami, become a reaper no matter what it took. After seeing all this she wouldn't, _couldn't_ return to the life she'd led, not unless the only other option was death.

It would destroy her.

Kouga let out a deep, weary sigh as she looked down at the yellow flowers dancing gently in the wind. The fact that she'd already made her decision didn't make it any easier to actually go. Lifting her head, she gazed through the leaves at the wall dwarfing everything in sight. The final barrier.

This close she could actually comprehend just how big Seireitei was, a giant dwarfing its surroundings. The heart of Soul Society. The First District.

Strange how small it had seemed when she'd first started seeing it on the horizon.

For a long moment she simply stared. And then she rolled her eyes, told herself to suck it up, and climbed down. She'd already made her choice, it was pointless to put it off any longer.

Taking a breath, gathering her courage, she started walking towards the final border.

It was time to face her demons.

* * *

Kouga had been pretty sure she wouldn't be able to jump over the walls surrounding Seireitei. She'd still tried.

She'd failed.

So with fear and reluctance hounding her every step, she'd made her way to the nearest entrance gate. When she arrived and asked to be let in, the Shinigami gatekeeper, a true giant in every sense of the word, took one look at her and laughed.

"Bwahahaha! You wanna be a Shinigami?" Snickers followed, his voice so deep Kouga was surprised the ground didn't tremble too. "Sorry shrimp, but you ain't got a chance. Come back in a few decades."

Kouga almost frowned, her hand tightening around the ends of her blanket filled with food. This she hadn't expected.

"There's an age limit?" Why hadn't Minato told her? You'd think he'd mention such an important detail.

Then again, it's not like she'd given him much opportunity.

But if there was an age limit, there was still the issue that Kouga didn't actually know how old she was.

"Not exactly." the giant reaper answered, looking much too amused for comfort. It took so much effort not to flee, her instincts _screaming_ that this Shinigami could squash her like a bug. Literally. "But there _is_ a Reiryoku requirement, and brat, you ain't got it."

Kouga made a mental note of the term the huge reaper had used, but was mostly focused on keeping the giant's power from connecting with hers.

"So I have to show my power?" she asked to make sure she'd gotten the message right. The giant snorted in response.

"Yeah, sure brat."

Alright then.

Carefully, she released the ever present hold she kept on her energy, the feeling akin to a muscle relaxing, except not really. Mentally taking hold of a significant amount, more than she would've ever used in Inuzuri, where a use like this would lead to... very unpleasant consequences.

But here, she could get enough food to justify a use like this.

And she _needed_ to pass.

So Kouga _pushed_ , flinging the foreign power off of herself and forcing her own to blanket the giant Shinigami's presence instead.

His eyes went wide, hand flying towards the _horrifically_ large sword hanging by his side, Kouga tensing, pulling back her energy, channeling it through her legs–

"Bwahahaha!" Laughter echoed all around once more, the mocking tone from before conspicuously absent. She stayed still, keeping her energy at the ready, watching the apparent madman warily. "Didn't see that one coming." he managed to get out between guffaws.

Kouga stayed on highest alert, fiercely reminding herself that she _needed_ to pass here to stay in control of the urge to run – _run!_ – waiting for the giant reaper to regain coherence. She stayed prepared to leap away _instantly,_ but the Shinigami didn't make a move towards her.

It took a while for the giant's laughter to die down, the huge reaper dissolving into snickers whenever he looked at her.

"Do I pass?" she asked after his manic merriment had finally subdued.

"Yeah shrimp, you do." Taking a step forward and turning around, the giant reaper opened the gates with a push that looked like it could move mountains. "Just follow this street straight forward and look for the huge golden roofs. It'll take you an hour or two before you do, but that's the Academy. Can't miss it."

Nodding, Kouga started walking forward, trying to keep as much of the giant within her sight as possible. But when he did move, his speed was enhanced with a flare of energy, too fast for Kouga to dodge–

An _enormous_ foot crashed down in front of her, making her squeak – _a bug!–_ and _jump,_ instinctively backed with power, landing away, still too close  _always look at the danger!_ Kouga looked up, and up, and _up_ , saw huge black eyes glittering with amusement, a wide grin aimed down at her.

She quickly moved further backwards, energy coiled tight, ready to run–

The giant reaper snickered. He didn't move.

And Kouga reminded herself that she _needed_ to pass.

"What's your name shrimp?" the giant reaper demanded.

Kouga hesitated, weighing whether she could get away with refusing to answer. Normally she would _never_ dare against a reaper, but...

But the rules were different during the Exams.

"Does it matter?" she asked instead. It seemed to amuse the giant even more.

"Not really." he admitted. Well, that was easy. "But I ain't letting you pass without it."

At his answer she let out a harsh breath, frustration spiking alongside her tension. This reaper was even worse than Minato.

"Kouga." she answered, wanting to avoid even the hint of conflict. And she honestly couldn't take his nerve wracking presence anymore.

The giant Shinigami raised an inquisitive brow.

"Just Kouga?" he asked, and she nodded in response. "Huh." he grunted and finally lifted his foot. She made sure to keep that weapon of mass destruction within sight as she started walking forward once more. She'd almost made it past, tension at an all time high–

"Wait."

She froze.

 _Different rules_ she desperately reminded herself.

Kouga kept her eyes on the reaper's, head craned back, willing him to get this over with, not wanting to be in his presence a moment longer. The giant gave her another much too amused grin.

"Don't you want to know my name?"

Kouga made sure her expression remained perfectly blank, resisting the urge to look at him like the idiot he apparently was.

"Not really." she repeated the answer he'd given her.

And with that, she quickly continued on her way, leaving the giant Shinigami behind, ignoring the overwhelming urge to keep him within her sight, her pure sixth sense remaining fully focused on his presence. Judging from the sounds echoing behind her, she'd only see him laughing like a crazy person once more.

Reapers. Every single one of them was insane.

And Kouga was going to be one of them.

* * *

The Shinigami Academy was... very flashy. And _very_ big.

A huge complex of buildings, surrounded by pristine snow white walls, crowned by glittering golden roofs attempting to outshine the sun. And nearly succeeding too. The giant was right, it was impossible to miss.

Standing in front of the entrance gates, Kouga experienced another wave of doubt. Did she really want to do this?

...No. She didn't. But she wanted to return to Inuzuri even less.

Squaring her shoulders, lifting her chin, she marched forward. There was no turning back.

Entering the, quite frankly, _enormous_ entrance building, she walked into a much smaller room than expected. But it was still huge.

Opposite of the door was a reaper, sitting behind a desk.

Kouga's entrance made the Shinigami lift her head with a sunny smile. It wavered as Kouga approached, hesitance replacing it. Then the reaper took one look at the mark emblazoned on her cheek and visibly composed herself.

"Hello there. Here for the entrance exam?" she asked.

Kouga nodded, fear and tension at an all time high. This was it.

"All right then!"

Was it a requirement for reapers to be so perky? No, couldn't be. At least, Kouga hoped not.

The Shinigami picked up a paper from one of the stacks drowning her desk, and held a single page out towards Kouga.

"Please fill out this form and I'll show you to the examiner." she said. And Kouga faltered. This was a problem. One she should've seen coming.

At her hesitation the reaper's smile softened, became gentler, more genuine.

It was unbelievably unnerving.

"Don't know how to write?" The question was _kind_. Kouga nodded again, firmly keeping in control of the desire to flee. "That's okay, you're not the only one. I'll just fill it out for you." And saying so the reaper took back the paper, dipped a brush in ink and held it at the ready. "What's your name?"

Kouga hesitated again. She really didn't want to give her name. But it seemed she didn't have a choice, she was beginning to suspect it was normal to ask for names here.

And it was a _reaper_ who'd asked.

"...Kouga. Written like Steel Fang."

The Shinigami looked surprised at her answer but dutifully wrote it down. At least, Kouga hoped she did.

Long ago mother had started teaching her the strange symbols people here used to write, her name the first thing shown. Kouga couldn't remember the characters that formed it, but she could still recall a patient voice, graceful fingers tracing the lines drawn in the dirt as mother explained their meaning. _You were such wild babe, biting at everything in reach. My little Steel Fang._

"And your family name?" the Shinigami asked.

"Don't have one." she answered. If mother had ever told, she'd long since forgotten.

"District of origin?"

Really? At her silence the Shinigami lifted her head. She took one look at the unimpressed expression Kouga briefly allowed herself to make, and gave a sheepish smile in return.

It made Kouga tense up even further, face impasive sonce more.

"Right. Stupid question." The reaper cleared her throat. "Next, any prior education in Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho or Kido?"

"None." Kouga answered. She didn't even know what those were. The Shinigami quickly checked a few boxes and wrote a few more things beneath that.

"That's it. I'll take you to the examiner now."

That's all? What was the point of even filling it out? As the reaper stood, Kouga put the question out of her mind. It wasn't important.

The Shinigami led her to a side passage, stopping in front of a door as unremarkable as all the others and with a Shinigami present in the room behind it. Kouga hoped he rest of the building wasn't so bland, otherwise she just knew she'd get lost. For a short while anyway. 

The reaper knocked and Kouga felt the tension running through her climb even higher. What if she failed, was told to go back?

What if she passed?

"Enter." The deep and hard voice only served to increase her doubts. She had to work so hard to suppress her trembles, but couldn't quite manage to keep her expression blank. It made the Shinigami look down at her with what seemed an awful lot like pity. Kouga resisted the urge to glare back. She didn't need nor want any _pity_.

A small grin was thrown her way, a softly spoken _good luck_ and then the reaper pushed the door open. Kouga was led into a small chamber, the only furniture a single chair in front of a large desk. And behind it, a reaper with shortly cropped, silver hair.

"Morino-san, I have another recruit." the Shinigami next to her said cheerfully. The silver haired reaper let out a sound of slight annoyance.

"Of course you do." he sarcastically shot back. At least it seemed perkiness was not a requirement. He shifted his gaze towards Kouga, his harsh frown making him seem even more intimidating. And while Kouga's own power was a little higher than his, she knew she wouldn't stand a chance if he chose attack her. Power, while very important, wasn't everything, and she'd seen Shinigami much weaker than this one move faster than she'd ever been able to manage.

There were no windows in this room.

"Well girl, don't just stand there, get over here." he ordered curtly.

With a last fortifying breath, Kouga stepped forward, placed her pack at her feet, and hopped onto the chair. She felt the Shinigami behind her leave, the closing of the door seeming too loud in this confined space. Kouga shifted her balance, so incredibly uncomfortable with the lack of windows. Among other things.

Silence fell, thick and heavy as the man's power began reaching for hers, Kouga tensing even further, pulling her own energy down as much as possible, nearly blinding herself, keeping out of his reach. She kept her eyes on his, her passive scanning fully focused on this reaper. All the while the Shinigami continued to stare at her with a heavy frown. She kept meeting his gaze, ready to make a run for it the moment he made any aggressive move. As the quiet continued, the reaper's glower became even harsher, more energy reaching for hers. Kouga was barely able to keep hers away from his.

It was _unbelievably_ unsettling. And so, _so_ difficult not to run.

_Different rules._

Eventually he let out a soft snort, his expression smoothing out, power pulled back.

"You've got guts at least." he told her calmly.

Kouga had no idea how idea how the reaper had come to this conclusion. She was only _barely_ managing to stay in control of the urge to flee.

The Shinigami leaned back in his chair, crossing his massive arms as he appraised her critically, eyes halting on the brand on her cheek, giving it a long look, before he fully met her eyes again.

"You're pretty young for the Academy though."

Again with the age thing. Kouga honestly hated her body a little right now.

And how did the reaper even know how old she was?

Kouga desperately grasped the distraction, reminded herself that the rules were different, and that it would be pointless to run. So she indulged her curiosity.

"How do you know how old I am?" Her question startled the reaper, his brows arching high.

"By looking at you and taking an educated guess." His dry and uninformative answer made a small frown escape her control.

"How? People here don't age at the same rate. I could be centuries old." She wasn't of course. At least, she hoped not.

The reaper's lips twitched, as if he wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it. It was a lot less disturbing to see than the previous reaper's _kind_ smile. But it was still disturbing.

Very, _very_ disturbing.

"That's not exactly true. People with high enough Reiryoku do age slower, but most are fully grown around a century or so, a century and a half at the most. There's absolutely no way you're older than five decades at the most. But more importantly, you're a child, no matter how old you are. Your Reiryoku is still incredibly immature, and most people don't even try to join until they're almost fully grown. At the least. For good reason too, becoming a Shinigami isn't easy."

His explanation was... an _enormous_ relief. After so long she'd begun to fear she would forever be trapped as a child. Knowing she wouldn't, that she'd regain her adult body for certain, lifted a burden she hadn't realized had been weighing her down. The knowledge actually made her smile fleetingly, no matter that she was in the presence of a reaper. Though she supposed the stress of the entire situation was making her more emotional than usual as well.

"You still want to join?" The question was oddly intense, as if the reaper was asking more than just what was said. She nodded in response though. Why would she have changed her mind?

The Shinigami's lips twitched once more in an almost smile.

"Then the first thing we need to do is measure your Reiryoku. If you don't have enough the rest of the test doesn't matter." he told her. Kouga supposed that made sense. It would be silly to pass all the requirements only to be told at the end you didn't have enough power to make the cut.

She tensed up absolutely at the brief, utterly bizarre twist the reaper's energy. He was casting a spell.

 _Different rules_ she desperately reminded herself once more.

"Here." Picking up what she had assumed to be a simple bauble, the Shinigami held out the small black orb. Kouga ruthlessly suppressed the urge to run and brought forward her own hand, palm up. The reaper dropped the orb into her hand and Kouga immediately felt the thing reaching for her power. Which was, what?

She immediately tightened her hold over her energy even more, going so far as to blind herself to make sure the thing didn't connect with her energy. She wondered what she was supposed to do with this... thing.

The Shinigami was looking at the incredibly disturbing orb intensely, not giving any further instructions.

After a moment, he sighed softly, disappointment replacing his previous focus. Kouga panicked. She hadn't even done anything yet! How could she already have failed?

"Pity. But not unexpected. Guess that's that." His hand reached out, palm up, but Kouga pulled back her own hand in return.

"What did I do wrong?" Her question was met with compassionate eyes.

"Nothing. You simply don't have enough Reiryoku."

Wait, what? At her incredulous look the reaper elaborated.

"The stone is meant to draw out Reiryoku. If you had enough, it would've started glowing. But if you still want to join, you should try again after... not the next time the Academy has exams, but the time after that. You'll probably make it then." He brought his hand forward once more, hand cupped and waiting for her to drop the disturbing stone in, but she ignored it, her relief overwhelming. Opening her fist, she looked down at the unnerving orb while keeping the reaper within her peripheral vision. Deciding to take no risks, she grabbed a significant amount of power while keeping the rest locked down as much as possible.

She pushed it into the thing.

Immediately the orb absorbed it, the thing glowing brightly, purple light filling the room, vivid currents lazily circling in it's depths. She did it. Returning her full vision towards the reaper, certain this was what he wanted, she was taken aback at the slightly widened eyes aimed her way. Kouga hesitated only a moment before continuing on.

"Is this enough?" She couldn't stop a hopeful note from weaving through, even though she was completely sure she did have enough power.

For a long moment the reaper stayed silent, simply looking at her.

"Yes. It is." he eventually answered, the words slow and drawn out.

Kouga actually felt a small grin escape, her happiness extremely sharp and intense, so very surprising in it's intensity. She'd always know she had enough power of course, but hearing it confirmed made her feel unexpectedly proud. 

Cutting off the flow of energy, she pulled the remainder down again, blinding herself as she locked it down completely once more, the unnerving orb still trying to reach for it. She placed the now dark stone back on the desk, feeling another fleeting smile grow as she could loosen her hold on her energy slightly again. She didn't like being blinded.

The reaper continued to watch her in silence. Yet her unexpected joy had put her in a strange mood, her tension increasing only relatively slightly.

Eventually he cleared his throat, eyes curious.

"How long have you been able to control your Reiatsu like that?"

Kouga actually had to think about it, mind racing as she tried to recall a time she had not. She'd been aware of her power for as long as she could remember, it was impossible not to be, ever present to her sixth sense, the pure and passive both. And while her control had grown over time, as had the size of her reserves, she couldn't recall a time she hadn't been able to manipulate it at least a little. So she shrugged.

"I don't remember a time I couldn't." If she hadn't been able to, she would've been killed long time ago.

Like Mizore.

Her answer made the reaper huff, lips twisting in a wry manner as he looked at her.

"Outers, always a surprise." His voice was soft. It didn't suit him.

"So I pass?" Kouga had to ask, couldn't help herself. She _needed_ to know.

But the Shinigami shook his head, making fear and uncertainty flare up absolutely once more.

"Not yet, you still have to answer some questions." he told her. Right, she'd almost forgotten. "But they're mostly meant to judge your character. There's very little chance you could give a wrong enough answer to fail, especially with your potential." The assurance was welcome and actually made Kouga smile fleetingly again, the intensity of her emotions making it difficult to keep her expression blank.

The Shinigami didn't smile back, but his eyes gleamed, sharing her joy. It was... so very unnerving to see a reaper do so, but Kouga was in such a strange mood she didn't feel more than a relatively small increase in her constant urge to run.

The reaper coughed softly, looking just a little embarrassed, and fished out a stack of papers from one of the drawers. If all of those were questions, they'd be here for a while yet.

That certainly put a damper on her strange joy.

"Alright. What's your name?"

She should probably get used to people asking that. It really did seem to be normal here.

And he was a reaper.

"...Kouga." she reluctantly answered. "Written like Steel Fang." she added as she realized he was going to write it down.

The reaper's lips twitched in something that was almost smile once more.

"It's nice to meet you Kouga. Now then. What made you decide to become a Shinigami?"

And so it began.


	4. Meeting Tactless People

As moonlight shone through the small open window, Kouga sat down the futon, the squishy mattress moved to the side, now placed so she could best dive out of the window. She leaned back against the wall.

She'd done it. She'd actually entered the Shinigami Academy. Now that it was done, now that she was finally taking a moment to let it all sink in...

A mixture of pride, happiness, fury and terror clouded her mind, paralyzing her thoughts. Her body felt restless, anxious, filled to bursting by the intensity of the emotions wracking havoc on her system. Kouga didn't even try to untangle the chaotic mess, wouldn't even know where to begin.

She was going to be a Shinigami. And it felt like the end of the world.

Kouga let out a deep sigh, a futile attempt to release some of the tension running through her. What was she supposed to do now?

...Well, there was the cafeteria she'd been told about. Food was _always_ good.

And this time she wouldn’t even have to steal it.

* * *

 

Kouga stood and _stared_. She literally couldn't believe what her eyes and nose were telling her.

There, right in front of her, was an _obscene_ amount of food. Cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, shrimp, rice, beef and so much more.

There was so much it actually made her feel nauseous. And furious, so unbelievably _furious_.

It wasn't fair.

After standing there another moment, probably looking like an idiot, she finally forced her feet to carry her closer.

Taking a bowl she hesitantly reached towards the plain white rice and took a little. Then she took some more. Then she took a lot, bowl nearly overflowing. Glancing around the room quickly, feeling strangely guilty, she snatched a second bowl and moved towards the vegetables. And then she stopped.

There was just _so much,_ both in amount _and_ diversity, that Kouga didn't know where to even begin. Looking over the impossible feast in front of her, her mind just sort of... stuttered to a halt, unable to process what she was seeing.

Her instincts however, had no such troubles, and suddenly her second bowl was filled with overwhelming variety. Kouga looked down at her hand which seemed to have magically moved on it's own. Then she looked at her meal, more than what she’d ever dared to eat in Inuzuri, enough to last her for so many days.

Kouga suppressed the utterly irrational urge to throw it all on the ground and stomp on it for good measure. You didn't waste food. Ever.

Turning to the side, she looked at the many tables scattered across the mostly empty hall, keeping track of the twelve other people present. She was very glad she was the strongest here, by a comfortable margin as well.

She went to an empty table near one of the corners, windows on one side. Kouga hopped on a chair, back against the wall, window next to her, and promptly shoved a handful of carrots in her mouth.

 _Bliss_ , eyes briefly closing in nothing but pleasure, _savoring_ the flavor, rich and sweet, so much better than _anything_ she could _ever_ remember tasting.

To her horror, Kouga felt her eyes grow wet, had to _force_ herself not to cry. They were just carrots, she'd eaten those before.

But they'd never tasted like _this_.

Swallowing past the lump stuck in her throat, quickly wiping away the moisture from her eyes, she took some beans and bit down.

They were just as heavenly as the carrots.

The next moments were spent indulging her taste buds, fingers becoming sticky, belly growing full in a way she'd never managed before, not even when passing through the higher Districts. It felt like the most wonderful dream she'd ever had.

Taking the jug of water, one present on _every_ table, she filled her cup and cooled her throat with sweet liquid, no hint of dirt or other things. Simply pure water.

Kouga put down her cup and turned her full vision to the person who had not only stood up from his chair, but was now approaching her table. She studied him a little more closely. His power was a lot lower than hers, and it was constantly fluctuating. He was a bright, glaring presence to her sixth sense, not because of his power, but because it was simply spilling all over the place. Like all the people with power she’d observed after crossing the first two Districts. The ones who literally _couldn’t_ control their power.

Kouga felt confident she could take him.

The young man, almost still a physical teenager really, smirked as he neared, before dropping unceremoniously in the chair across her own. Kouga gave him an unimpressed look, one arm curling around her food protectively. He was extremely pale, making his short, spiky black hair seem even more vivid, dark eyes twinkling as he grinned at her in amusement.

“Hey.” he said. Kouga tilted her head downwards slightly and ate some more rice, keeping him within her sight, on guard for any hostile signs. “Name's Uchiha Obito. You new around here?”

Kouga swallowed, took another drink and started nibbling on something green and spicy. She had no idea what it was, just knew it tasted as unbelievably delicious as everything else.

“...Quiet little thing, aren't you.”

Well yes, as evidenced by her _not talking to him_.

Picking up a slice of something oddly colored –what kind of vegetable was bright purple?– she took a bite and felt her face twist in a grimace. The taste was...

It was the first thing she didn't like, so Kouga gathered the two other pieces she had of it, finishing them quickly before trying to wash away that... peculiar taste. She wondered where this food came from. Because all of it, the heavenly and the bright purple both, tasted more intense than anything she’d eaten before.

And there was just _so much_.

The guy chuckled, looking just a little awkward. And so bizarrely relaxed. He actually seemed uncaring of the fact that he’d basically turned the entire room into a giant blind spot, never shifting his balance in a way that told her he wanted to look backwards. It was utterly bewildering.

“What's your name?” he asked.

Kouga supposed that given this seemed to be a normal thing to ask here, the polite thing would be to answer. She didn't.

“Come on, I told you mine didn't I?”

Yes he did. Without her ever asking for it.

But apparently she'd have to get used to telling people her name. Best to get that over with as soon as possible.

“...Kouga.” she answered, hoping it would be enough to have him leave. Then she immediately went back to the miracles of taste in front of her.

“There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?” The Obito boy sounded far too pleased. “So where are you from?”

Just because she'd given her name, did not mean she wanted to converse. But apparently the guy didn't catch the hint. Or just ignored it. That was more likely, seeing as her continued silence did absolutely nothing to deter him, just made him continue his string of chatter.

“A Sixtieth District? Sixty-first? Sixty-second? Sixty-third?” On and on he went, that same smirk still on his face, growing a little less uncomfortable as he continued to speak. All the while remaining so bizarrely relaxed. But at least he didn’t seem hostile.

Kouga wondered how he knew she was from the outer ones. What had given her away? The brand had already been taken from her cheek and she'd changed into her new – _new!_ – uniform, the fabric softer and warmer than anything she'd ever worn. Though she’d had to roll up the sleeves and pants a little to make sure it didn’t hinder her movements. Yet it seemed unlikely that this would somehow indicate she was from an outer District. She'd even washed before coming to the Academy. So how did he know?

...Was it her hair?

“–from Uchiwa myself, that's the Eastern 23rd. Pretty, but boring. It's why I came here, for some adventure and to see the rest of Soul Society.” And he was _still_ talking. It was actually impressive how little air he seemed to need.

“How did you know?” she finally asked, her curiosity too high not to, not when he wasn’t acting hostile. Obito fell silent and looked at her in confusion.

“What?” he said in return. Kouga realized her question might have seemed a little out of the blue.

“How did you know I'm from an outer District?” she clarified.

“Oh, that. It's obvious really.” And he was smirking again. Wonderful. Kouga arched a brow in a wordless demand for more. The guy stayed silent, smug smirk still on his face. When it became clear he wasn't going to elaborate, Kouga suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and went back to her food.

Mushrooms. _Delicious_.

“...You eat using your fingers.”

Kouga looked at him in confusion. How else was she– right, cutlery.

“And you're not wearing sandals.”

Kouga curled her bare toes reflexively. She knew she'd forgotten something.

Oh well, at least she had her answer. Satisfied, Kouga went back to her heavenly meal, tilting down her head a little again. She saw the guy cross his arms and huff.

“Really? You're going to ignore me again?”

Kouga wondered whether the red things were peppers. Only one way to find out.

“At least tell me where you're from, I answered your question too.”

That made her look towards him fully again.

“I answered one of yours too.” her reply made him look confused again and she felt a small surge of satisfaction. Sometimes her pettiness surprised even herself.

“Wha– you mean your _name?_ That doesn't count, it's common courtesy!”

Not to her it wasn't. Kouga bit the maybe peppers. Discovered she'd been right, her tongue instantly on fire, nose itching, eyes tearing up. It was _fantastic_.

She doused her taste buds with rice, relishing the lingering heat.

“Come on.” he continued wheedling. Kouga had a feeling he wasn't going to drop this. And the whine in his voice really did sound annoying. Kouga decided to answer once more, with the hope he'd leave her alone after that. Otherwise she’d leave.

After she finished eating.

“Inuzuri. Southern 78th.” There, now she could go back to ignoring him, and hopefully he'd feel grateful enough to leave her alone.

“Wow, that must've sucked. No wonder you came to the Academy. What's it like there?” The guy did not feel grateful enough apparently. Oh well. Kouga munched on some soy beans. So. Unbelievably. _Delicious_. “I mean, I've heard some real horror stories, they can't be true, right?”

It really was amazing how blatantly he ignored her ignoring him. As she took another drink Kouga studied him a little more closely.

Obito had a rather round face, with high cheekbones and pretty big eyes, framed by thick lashes. On him, the combination was surprisingly pretty. Poor thing.

He was still showing no signs of hostility. He also didn't stop talking.

“–even heard there's so little to eat people actually kill each other for food.” True enough. “But  not just killing to steal it, but to actually _eat each other_.”

Kouga’s cup _shattered_. Obito fell silent, eyes as wide as they could go. Kouga very carefully put down the broken cup. Started picking out the shards of pottery stuck in her palm, ignoring the blood, very deliberately not looking towards the boy directly.

Making sure her expression was blank and her voice was even, she told him the truth.

“Inuzuri is not a nice place.” And then she scarfed down the remainder of her food, licked the bowls clean, and left.

The boy didn't follow.

* * *

 

That night, Kouga couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, twisting her body in the most impossible positions, but it was no use.

The damn futon was just too soft.

As the moon shone down the open window, just enough light to see by, Kouga gave up. She stood, grabbed the blanket and pillow, kicked the stupid squishy thing away, and dropped her cargo on the floor. She moved towards the closet, gathered the extra blankets and pillows stored there, as well as the ropes she’d been given alongside her uniforms for some reason, and took the one blanket she'd dragged all the way from Inuzuri for good measure as well.

She dumped the ropes on the floor first, and arranged the blankets and pillows above them in a neat pile, with a dip in the middle. Nodding in satisfaction, she promptly dropped down her nest, pulling one blanket over herself, placed so that she wouldn’t get tangled in it if she had to run. Then she turned into a tight ball, ready to spring out the window if needed.

Much better.

Kouga was finally able to force herself to fall asleep.

* * *

 

The next morning, just as the sun breached the horizon, Kouga entered the near empty mess hall. She was impressed by the amount of time she’d been able to force herself to sleep. She’d only startled awake five times. She hadn’t expected to manage that in reaper territory.

Walking towards the food –the amount and variety just as literally _mind boggling_ as yesterday– she took another two bowls and resolutely set about filling them up as much as possible.

If the Shinigami were going to keep throwing food at her, Kouga was going to take full advantage of that. The sheer _fury_ it made her feel as well, was completely irrelevant.

At another empty corner table, Kouga sat down, wall at her back and window at her side. Then she dug into her meal.

It actually tasted _even better_ than yesterday.

As she treated her taste buds to paradise once more, she examined the five others present a little more closely, vague interest rising.

There was an auburn haired woman, wearing... make-up? And with very pouty lips, giving an excellent view of her impressive assets as she leaned forward to talk with a young man, almost still a physical teen, sitting in front of her. His hair was actually blue, contrasting with his furiously red skin as he desperately tried to keep his eyes on the woman's face. He wasn't very successful, regularly snapping his eyes back up, skin somehow managing to grow a shade brighter each time. Not that the woman seemed to mind, just continued flirting with him, in a way Kouga almost never saw in Inuzuri. Both kept a strict control over their power, but they didn’t hide it. Both of them were lower than hers, Kouga comfortably above the woman, the strongest of the two.

At a table along the opposite wall were another two people. A man and a woman, both brown-haired, both not controlling their power in any way, glaringly bright to her sixth sense. Both their power was also much lower than hers. The woman was eating slowly, while the man's nose was buried in a book, face obscured by the cover, and his meal apparently forgotten. Kouga briefly stopped chewing as she looked at this sight in utter bewilderment. How could anyone just _forget_ about _food?_

Kouga swallowed, and picked up a piece of tofu, letting the delicious texture melt in her mouth as she continued her examination, coming to the final person present. A man was seated in the opposite corner of her, next to a window as well, power not just controlled but pushed down. Kouga had needed to look at him when she’d entered to get a lock on his level. He was the weakest one in this room. Was weak in general really. Tangled brown hair obscured most of his features, shoulders tense and one arm curled protectively around his meal as he scarfed it down with his other hand.

He kept his full gaze on her own the moment she’d kept most of her vision longer on him than a mere glance.

Kouga nodded politely to show she wasn't looking for trouble, and in response, most of his vision flickered to the others present. Good, she'd hate to get into a fight already.

She turned most of her attention back to her own food, wondering what the oily green things were. They tasted surprisingly sweet. And so unbelievably _delicious_.

As the bright presence she’d begun picking up arrived, she briefly turned most of her vision towards the entrance as she recognized the guy from yesterday. Obito’s gaze flickered across the room, halting as he met her own, dark eyes going wide in astonishment. Kouga suppressed the urge to roll her own and mostly looked back down her meal. At least the conversation yesterday would make sure he didn't bother her again.

Except after getting his own meal, he squared his shoulders and began walking towards her with a determined expression. Still without any signs of hostility.

This was a surprise.

Kouga met his eyes as he sat down in front of her, again. He smirked, also again. Yet unlike yesterday, it looked fake, body extremely tense. But was it because of her, or because of his huge blind spot? Normally that wouldn’t even be a question, except yesterday this boy _genuinely_ hadn’t seemed to care.

For a moment the both of them continued to stare at each other in silence. Then he slid two wooden sticks towards her. What?

“You forgot to take chopsticks again.” Obito's voice was as uncertain as his body language, but it held a teasing note as well. Kouga glanced down at the things in confusion once more. Chopsticks? What was she supposed to do with– chopsticks, _cutlery,_ right.

She eyed the things dubiously, doubting she'd be able to use them. Deciding to ignore them, she grabbed a handful of rice instead.

“Did you at least remember to put on sandals?” Obito asked, teasing note a little louder. Kouga wondered why he'd come back. Yesterday's revelation should've killed off any desire to continue socializing with her, except if he enjoyed...

There were a lot of things a person could enjoy.

But Obito honestly didn’t seem to be that kind of person. Practically no person she’d observed in the higher Districts had been. And yes, she knew that was “normal”, but it was also very strange. And unnerving, no matter how irrational that was.

Yet Obito hadn't just come back, he actually tried to act as though nothing had happened. It was odd, but not in a bad way Kouga had to admit.

“Yes I did.” she answered because of that. And curled her toes, the sandals and socks she was wearing making the movement feel... strange. Not uncomfortable, just strange. Kouga kept being distracted by the fabric sliding across her feet, and she curled her toes again, just to feel the odd sensation. She knew she’d worn shoes in her previous life, but the feeling...

She'd forgotten what this felt like.

At her reply, Obito’s expression turned befuddled, though Kouga had no idea why. Then his smirk returned, wider and more genuine than before.

“That's good, can't have you running around like some wild thing, right?” he playfully asked. Kouga drank some water. Obito's smirk grew. “Now you just need a wash, comb your hair, and no one will be able to tell you came from a craphole.” he said it with such confidence Kouga stared at him in bewilderment. It made Obito falter, hesitance returning, but really? A _wash?_ She'd freshened up yesterday, and she hadn’t even gotten into a fight since then! There was no way she was already dirty again. Was she?

Kouga quickly glanced down at herself. Still good.

“I don't need to wash.” she told him, feeling just a little indignant. Because Kouga always made sure she was clean, it was one of the few habits she knew she still had from her previous life. She knew with complete certainty cleanliness was very important to staying healthy, had often seen people in Inuzuri grow sick.

Not that Kouga herself had actually gotten sick. Well, not sick in the way of a cold or flu or something at least. But she wasn’t going to take the risk of becoming dirty and then finding out that yes, she could, in fact, still get sick like that.

Obito snorted in response, but he looked relieved as well.

“Yeah, you really do.” he said firmly. Kouga stubbornly lifted her chin, refusing to believe it. It made Obito grin. “Not to mention your hair looks like a rat's nest.” he continued cheerfully. And Kouga would admit, he probably had a point there. She couldn't actually remember the last time she'd tried to untangle it, just hacked it off with a sharp stone the few times it grew past her jaw. In fact, she couldn't even recall the last time she'd actually seen it. Or what the color was. Though she was pretty sure it was a very dark kind of brown, or maybe black.

It probably looked like a mess.

Looking over Obito’s own, practically shining, and neatly untangled hair, she realized she would have to fix this. Kouga finished off the last of her rice, wondering how to even begin straightening her hair, her free hand coming up to assess the damage.

A strangled sound, a hand reaching across the table to grab her own, making Kouga jerk back, tension flaring up, watching Obito with narrowed eyes.

“Don't do that!” he exclaimed, looking so very pained. But still not hostile. Puzzled, she allowed herself a questioning look, not understanding his reaction, still on high alert from his attempt to touch her. At her bewilderment he somehow managed to look even more pained. “You can't just touch your hair with those hands, they're dirty!”

Dirty? Sure, they were a little oily, but that was it. Yet he found _that_ dirty?

She looked at his own hands. Realized that part of the reason they seemed so unnaturally pale, was because he simply didn’t have the ever present dirt under his nails that Kouga had. The bits she never quite got away. In fact, he didn’t even have one faint smudge of something oddly colored on him.

...She was beginning to realize she'd have to adjust her standards of hygiene if she wanted to blend in, they were clearly a lot higher here. Which was something she should've grasped a lot sooner, hadn't she noticed how everything was cleaner the higher the District? Buildings, clothes, even the people? What did she think caused that, magic? No, the people here just washed everything more. Including themselves.

Now that she thought about it, they probably didn't bathe in ponds or rivers either, with everything that needed to be cleaned, that would get impractical real fast. In fact, wasn’t there a place in each house specifically to clean yourself? Yes there was, she knew there was. It was called a bathroom. She just couldn’t quite remember anything more than that.

Kouga wondered how many other things would trip her up like this.

...She would need help in order to learn how to blend in. Kouga observed Obito critically.

“–need to use chopsticks, there's a reason we use– why are you looking at me like that?” He was watching her warily now, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Glad to see he could act normal some of the time at least.

“Can you show me?” Kouga politely asked. Best to be courteous when asking for a favor after all.

“How to use chopsticks? Sure, it's not that hard, you just–”

“Not that.” she interrupted him, before taking a moment to think it over. “Well, that too, but I want to wash first. And untangle my hair.” The sooner she was blending in, the better her odds of survival.

“Erhm. Sure.” Obito answered, looking flustered for some reason. Kouga gave him a surprised look at his lack of demand for payment. But if he wasn't going to ask for one, she certainly wasn't going to offer either.

And if it was because he planned on attacking her, well, Kouga knew she could take him. Especially after _two_ meals like _this_.

She nodded in acceptance of the deal, before quickly devouring the last of her food, and licking both bowls, and her fingers clean. Then she looked towards him expectantly.

“...You mean right now?” Obito asked uncertainly.

“Do you have something else to do?” Kouga politely asked. After all, this was a little abrupt.

“Erhm, no, but, I mean–” Obito huffed, bringing up a hand to rub at the back of his neck awkwardly. Then he nodded decisively. “Alright, let's go.” He stood up. And floundered when she stayed seated. Kouga gave him a bewildered look. Why was he getting up?

“Kouga-chan?”

Kouga ignored the unwanted endearment, looking at his food instead, before giving him another bewildered look.

“You haven't finished your food.” she articulated clearly, wondering if there was something wrong with his vision.

“Oh. I'm not that hungry, I'll just throw it away.”

Kouga's mind blanked.

He was going to _throw away food._

“What the–”

 _Food_ . He was going to _throw away_ **_food_ ** **.**

“Stop looking at me like that!”

He was going– he _needed_ to eat too– how could he _throw away_ **_food!_ **

“Stop it!”

How could he even _think_ – what was **_wrong_ ** with him! _It was_ **_food!_ **

“Okay, okay, look! I'm eating, alright?” Obito grabbed the bowl in front of him, quickly devouring its contents as he kept eye contact.

Kouga felt her heartbeat slow, realized she was digging her nails so deep into her palms she was bleeding, only her absolute _shock_ keeping her power passive. She took deep, calming breaths, unclenching her fists, taking back conscious control over her power. And then she shivered brutally.

Was that _normal_ here? _Wasting_ food? Didn't they know, _understand_ , how _precious_ it was?

No, of course not. How could they, when apparently there was so _obscenely_ much of it, ready and available whenever they wanted.

It made Kouga _furious_ . Those selfish, privileged, Hollowfucking _assholes!_ Because what did it matter that the lower Districts only got scraps? It's not like most of them needed it, who cared about the few who did? They were worthless gutter rats, not important, no great loss. Just another piece of trash who deserved to die anyway.

Kouga's vision went white.

“Look, I’m eating, I’m eating! Just calm down!” Obito's voice was muffled yet crystal clear at the same time, sounding panicked and breathless, and abruptly Kouga snapped back to herself, realized her power was flaring up, spilling beyond her body, flooding the room.

With supreme effort she pulled it back and locked it down, _forcing_ herself to remain in control. But the bitter fury, black and ugly, didn't disappear, wouldn't relinquish its hold so easy.

Because Kouga’s _life_ **_didn’t matter._ **

And the knowledge made her bite her cheek, dig her nails into her palms once more, pain helping her to stay in control. Barely.

She let out a shuddering breath, allowing herself to close her eyes in order to _focus_ , pushing those feelings away.

She couldn't do anything about it after all. It was irrelevant.

Her survival wasn’t.

Kouga opened her eyes, back in full control of her power and body.

Obito kept eating his meal, sweat dotting his forehead, looking incredibly rattled. Behind him she could see the others staring at her a well, the couple having abandoned their flirting to look at her with slightly widened eyes, the woman’s chest heaving deeply. At the other table, the man had put down his book to stare while the woman next to him gave her a disturbed look, both of them paler than before. The man in the corner had gotten to his feet, ready to bolt, bowls of food held inside the crook of his arm, panicked eyes never moving away from her. No wonder, she hadn't lost control like that in ages.

Kouga focused on keeping her breathing calm and regular. It helped. Just a little.

“...You okay now?” Obito asked after he swallowed the last of his meal, voice still holding a breathless note.

She really wasn't. But she would restrain herself, wouldn't allow her feelings to rule her. She would _not_ be vulnerable because of their whims.

“Say something, I'm really freaking out here.” Obito rushed out. Kouga gave him an astonished look in return.

 _He_ was freaking out?

“Kouga-ch–kun?”

Kouga snorted softly. Suddenly he was being a bit more polite. Whatever could’ve caused that.

But she shouldn't take her anger out on Obito. It wasn't his fault. He was only a product of his environment. Just like she was.

And he had finished all his food.

“Let's go get cleaned up.” she answered.

In response Obito did a very impressive imitation of a fish. Then he let out a strangled sound, a hand coming up to cover his eyes as he tilted back his head.

He started laughing, shoulders shaking from the force of it, sounds of merriment filling the air. Kouga hadn't heard laughter like that in a long time. Not since Fubuki–

It was a nice sound.

“You're really something.” he said after he’d calmed down, lowering his head to meet her eyes, his own warm and soft. Kouga couldn't help but give a fleeting smile in return, her emotions still raw after that outburst, more intense. Obito beamed back.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Kouga hopped off her chair and looked up at him expectantly. Obito chuckled in response, pushing himself upright as well.

“Fine, I'll take you to the baths. Let's go, you impatient brat.”

Kouga resisted the urge to sigh.

She had a feeling the age thing wasn’t going to go away any time soon.


	5. Revealing An Appearance

The bath house was a revelation.

An entire building made for the sole purpose of getting clean in the most comfortable way possible. Kouga could hardly believe it. She was glad Obito was with her, showing her what to do, because Kouga was completely lost.

They were the only ones there, and after undressing, he'd shown her to use the buckets of  _ hot _ water –and  _ soap! _ – to wash herself. Though oddly enough, he'd offered to help her clean her back. And had given her a strange look when she’d refused.

He’d also given the scars on her body a very disturbed look, though he hadn’t asked after them. Not that Kouga would’ve answered, but it was nice that he hadn’t asked.

Obito had, however, insisted she wash her hair four times, each time refilling the bucket with new water and soap. The suspicious muddled gray color the foam took on that first time, convinced her he may have a point in doing so, only the final time did it remain white. The soap had also ensured she’d managed to get cleaner than she ever had before, even the dirt under her fingernails and on her feet was gone. And she smelt… like nothing at all really, the very absence suddenly incredibly noticeable.

But it was after that the true decadence of this place became clear. Apparently, what they'd just done didn't constitute as “bathing”, it was just the preparation that led up to it.

At the back of the building was a giant pool, steaming softly, and while Kouga had at first assumed that was simply where all the heated water was stored, this turned out not to be the case.

The pool  _ was _ the bath.

At her wide eyed look, Obito had laughed.

So now here she was, submerged up to her chin, embraced on all sides by the heavenly liquid. Kouga closed her eyes and tilted back her head, feeling her muscles relax in a way she hadn't thought possible.

This was paradise.

Obito seemed to feel the same way, actually staying silent for once. With a happy sigh, Kouga slipped completely beneath the surface, relishing the heat. And vaguely feeling like she'd done something similar to this in her previous life, though she was absolutely sure it hadn't felt like  _ this _ . She resurfaced as she sensed Obito move close closer, pushing back her hair and giving him a wary look through the water still trailing down her face. Obito stopped coming closer, settling back into his original position with a huff.

“Don't do that.” he scolded, brows furrowed together. Kouga gave him a puzzled look.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I thought you'd fainted! You were under for ages!” he retorted, sounding agitated. “Also, don't dunk your head in a bath, it's just not done.” he continued after a momentary pause, agitation gone as quick as it had appeared.

Was this another of those little things? Kouga had only been here for a day, yet already she felt like a complete outsider.

“Why?” Kouga had a feeling she was going to be asking that a lot. Luckily Obito didn't seem to mind her ignorance.

He reminded her a little of Ayame in that.

“It's not polite, your hair gets all over the place, polluting the water and ruining it for everyone else. It's also why you don't wash in the bath itself.” he tacked on with a small, but playful grin.The explanation made sense, the rules clearly a result of the ridiculously high standards of hygiene this place held.

Kouga nodded to show she understood, before leaning back and closing her eyes once more, Obito not a high enough threat to necessitate keeping a literal eye on him, her pure sixth sense more than enough.

The silence returned.

A while later, she sensed Obito stand up, observing through slitted eyes as he got out. He turned his head towards her with a grin.

“You coming?”

Nope, Kouga was never ever leaving this piece of heaven.

At her silence, Obito smirked. She was pretty sure it was teasing.

“It's dangerous to stay in too long you know.”

What?

Kouga opened her eyes fully, wordlessly demanding an explanation. Obito's smirk turned into a grin.

“You can faint if you stay in too long. But more often, people get up too fast and black out, injuring themselves when they fall. I actually saw a man almost die when his head just missed the edge. He'd nearly cracked his skull open!”

Kouga gave the water a betrayed look. That did sound dangerous. And yet it was so  _ soothing,  _ her body loose in a way she couldn't ever recall, tension practically completely gone. Kouga never wanted to leave.

Unfortunately, common sense wouldn't allow her to stay inside it now that she had this new information, tension already rising once more.

Kouga stood, and thankfully did so without any signs of fainting. With a last mournful look at the slice of paradise, she left it's boundaries. But she already knew she was going to be back here. Soon.

Obito was now patting himself dry, so she followed his example and grabbed her own towel. The fabric was amazing at absorbing water, better than anything she could remember using. When she was dry, Kouga had never felt more squeaky clean in her life.

Both of them returned to the changing room, putting their uniform back on. Obito finished first, and promptly started rummaging in one of the buckets full of supplies standing near the wall. With a sound of triumph, he turned back towards her, a proud look on his face and holding up a small wooden thing with teeth. It actually took Kouga a moment to recognize the object as a comb, more beautiful than any of the few crude handmade ones she'd seen in Inuzuri.

Right. Her hair.

“Come on, it's time to tame the beast!” Obito cheerfully exclaimed as he sat down the bench nearest to her, patting the space next to him.

He was probably exaggerating how bad it was. A little anyway.

He straddled the bench as Kouga sat down next to him, her power coiled tight, ready to be used at the first sign of trouble. She didn't like having someone so close.

But she didn't have a choice, if she tried to untangle her hair herself, she just knew she would rip entire chunks out. And she'd seen enough people to realize a haircut like that would make her stand out. Better to have someone who knew what he was doing help her.

The touch of Obito's hand made her go rigid, a fact he definitely noticed.

“Relax.” he told her as though that was actually possible. Then he began using his fingers to softly tug at her hair, not using the comb yet. He was being surprisingly gentle, much more than Kouga herself would be. “Jeez, when was the last time you combed this? It looks like it wants to jump off your head and eat me.” he was teasing again, but Kouga shrugged in response, so uncomfortable she didn't even mind his chatter. Would prefer it actually, it meant she’d probably have more warning if he decided to attack.

“Can't remember. Wasn't important.” she mumbled with the vague hope it would make Obito continue babbling. Luckily it did, though that probably had more to do with his apparent inability to shut up. Except when he was in a bath it seemed.

“Maybe, but it sure would've looked prettier.” Obito truly didn't seem to get that this would be a bad thing. “Tell me if I hurt you, okay?”

It was so  _ strange  _ how concerned he seemed. He’d only just met her. 

Obito picked up the comb and continued the process of untangling her hair, Kouga seeing him wince from the corner of her vision with every tangle he encountered. And he encountered many.

“So you never answered my question, the one about life in the 78th?” he absently asked, still giving her hair an intensely focused look. Kouga suspected he'd only asked because he was incapable of staying silent, and was proven right when Obito continued without waiting for an answer.

“It's just, I have a cousin who's a Shinigami and he told me about some of the things he’d seen in… Kuro something. Anyway, it was the Western 60th. You wouldn't believe what happens there– or, well, you would. And I heard the lower Districts are, well, even worse. Sorry about the, ah, cannibal thing by the way.” He cleared his throat, looking embarrassed. “I didn't think that one was actually true. And I don't blame you or anything, I mean, you just wanted to survive, right? Except if you're some kind of sadistic killer I guess, which I don't think you are of course, at least, you don't seem to be, I really hope you're not. Then again, you ate huma–  _ shit _ . Ignore that, just my foot meeting my mouth again, and I'm going to shut up now.”

Pink dusted his cheeks, his entire posture screaming his awkwardness and embarrassment. But he continued his task with that same gentle care.

Kouga felt grateful enough for his help to answer his curiosity.

“I never killed anyone to eat them.” But after using too much of her power, after not finding food for too long, even her attackers had seemed appetizing. And she'd been forced to kill them anyway, Kouga had simply taken advantage of an already existing situation.

“So you... ate the dead? That’s... okay, that's still  _ really _ disturbing, but better than the alternative I guess.”

Kouga thought so too. Which was why after that first time, she'd simply gone looking for not yet dissolved corpses the relatively few times she'd reached that point of starvation. It had been something he’d tried to avoid at all cost, but sometimes she simply hadn't had a choice.

Kouga didn't believe she'd ever be able to enjoy the taste of meat. No matter what kind.

“I guess there wasn't a lot of food?” Obito continued hesitantly.

“Almost none.” she answered. Obito forced himself to grin cheerfully, hands never halting their gentle movements.

“No wonder you want to become a shinigami!” he exclaimed. Kouga resisted the urge to snort. She really didn't, her hatred too deep to simply dissolve because she'd decided to stay.

She'd have to work on that.

Silence returned as Obito continued his work with extreme focus, but this time Kouga felt just relaxed enough to prefer it again. Though she was still ready to either jump away, or to punch his balls in at a moment’s notice. Or both.

This time Obito kept quiet, though he opened his mouth a few times, seeming on the verge to speak before changing his mind again, a myriad of expressions crossing his face when he did, from hesitance, to morbid curiosity, to grimaces, to frowns. He was incredibly expressive.

Kouga spend the entire time on high alert, Obito’s proximity and touch not allowing for anything else. But she also marveled at how clean her hands were. And how her nails actually seemed pink instead of brown, or gray, or any other color really. She slid the tip of her thumb over the edges, just to feel how smooth they were. It made Obito grin slightly, and he opened his mouth again, before closing it without saying anything once more.

But eventually Obito spoke again.

“All done. The first part at least. Turn around.” he ordered and Kouga chose to obey, swinging her legs over to the other side. As Obito started untangling her hair with his hands once more, Kouga idly brought up a hand to examine the side that was finished– and froze.

Her fingers touched soft strands, gliding through them. She gently closed her hands around some locks, before pulling, just a little. 

Her hair slithered free. 

Sliding her fingers through it once more, Kouga marveled at the texture. She'd forgotten just how soft hair actually was.

Obito watched with a small smile as he picked up the comb again, but thankfully he stayed silent, giving Kouga the change to familiarize herself with this change.

Eventually she dropped her hand, Obito still working on the other side. They'd been at this for quite a while now.

Obito hummed softly and began talking again, apparently unable to bear the silence any longer.

“So do you have any family?” he asked. Kouga didn’t answer.

She wouldn’t talk about her mother. Those memories were hers, and hers alone. But Obito didn’t seem to mind, simply started talking about his own.

“I come from a big one myself. There’s my nan, my grandmother Masumi I mean, who’s the strongest person ever, no doubt. She’s really strict, but it’s because she loves us so much. Me and my little sister that is. Her name’s Naori, she looks about your age I think. It was really hard to leave her, and for a long time I was seriously thinking of waiting for the next time the exams came around, just so she’d be a little older, you know? But she told me to go, said she knew I was bored at home. Which yeah, I kind of was, but seriously, she’s my little sister, she’s a lot more important than any kind of adventure. But after she told me to go, how could I refuse? And it’s not like she’ll be alone, I have two cousins about her age, and those three are thick as thieves. They’re called Naka and Izumi. Izumi has a  _ huge  _ crush on Itachi, that’s another of my cousins, the one who’s a Shinigami. Really though, her crush is adorable. Then there’s my uncle Fugaku and aunt Mikoto, Itachi’s parents. Aunt Mikoto is  _ terrifying _ . You’d never guess so from looking at her, you’d think it was uncle Fugaku, but he’s just a big softy once you get to know him. There was this one time we went to a festival, and–”

As Obito kept chattering on, Kouga simply listened in silence. Obito’s home and family sounded… 

They sounded like a dream.

Kouga pushed her jealousy away. And her grief. The past was the past. It didn’t matter anymore. Much at least.

So Kouga let his words wash over her as she kept checking him for any hostile signs, ready to spring into action if needed. She felt a little reassured by his own completely relaxed body language. It indicated he really wasn’t planning to attack her. Simply to help.

How odd.

After a while he fell silent again. And by then, Kouga knew exactly how many family members he had, and had also heard three pretty long stories, all involving different members.

His home really did sound like a dream. One she’d never dared to even think of in Inuzuri.

Obito was now focusing fully on her hair once more, brows furrowed in concentration. Shortly after that, he finally lowered his hands and the comb, and gave her hair first a critical, then a very satisfied look.

“All done.” he proclaimed. “Now turn your back to me and I'll finish up.”

Kouga tensed up completely.

“No.”

“But–”

“ _ No _ .”

“Okay fine! Be paranoid.” he sounded frustrated, but only for a moment, then he threaded gentle fingers through her hair again, Kouga immediately pulling her head out of his reach now that he no longer needed to touch her, scooting away from him. Obito grinned. “You know, your hair is surprisingly pretty, though still weird.”

It was? Turning to face him fully, Kouga was suddenly seized by an overwhelming curiosity to know what it looked like. So she asked.

“What does it look like?”

“It's mostly straight, but with a few messy spikes mixed in, you know?” She didn't. “Still short, but longer than I expected.” he continued, yet Kouga still had trouble picturing it. She took hold of a few locks and pulled them in front of her eyes, looking at the strands in fascination. And at their color.

Purple. Her hair was actually purple.

Obito watched her doing so a moment, before abruptly standing up and going over to one of the sliding screens next to the supplies. Opening one, he ignored the towels placed inside, searching for something specific if his mutterings were anything to go by.

“–sure they were here somewhere.”

Kouga idly watched him from the corner of her vision, most of her attention still on examining the soft strands in front of her eyes.

“Aha!” The triumphant exclamation made Kouga turn her full vision towards him, and she saw him hold up something thin, wrapped in a cloth. Obito walked back towards her, oozing satisfaction. He stopped before her, holding the thing right in front of her and unwrapped it with a flourish.

And Kouga stared.

Looking back at her was a small, solemn child, age difficult to determine because of the too thin features, cheeks too hollow, eyes too big. But still pretty in the way only children could be. Slanted green eyes looked back, shock making them even more unnaturally big, framed by thick lashes. Above that was a mob of mostly straight hair, with a few wild locks shooting up, the color a dark purple, except for a single tuft of red sticking out above one ear.

Kouga blinked, and the child did the same.

Hesitantly she brought a hand up to her face, the image doing the same. Because she was looking into a mirror. Because she was looking at herself.

This was... 

She felt...

Kouga didn't know what she felt. She'd never been able to truly look at herself, even the clearest ponds only offering a distorted, muted view. And she’d never felt the need to change that, her appearance hadn’t ever truly mattered.

Yet seeing herself clearly for the first time was... indescribable. After all this time, it suddenly and inexplicably brought home the fact, that this body, this  _ life _ , was... not hers.

Except it was. Her previous life was gone, this was it. This was all that was left.

Kouga felt her throat seize, emotions choking her. Which was ridiculous, she'd accepted this was her world now, literally had no memories of her old one, no more than vague impressions left. She'd gotten over her loss a long time ago.

Hadn't she?

A sob broke free. Apparently she hadn't.

The image disappeared, Obito putting down the mirror, worried eyes meeting her own as he knelt in front of her.

“What's wrong?”

Nothing.  _ Everything _ .

“Hey, it's okay.” Obito reached for her and Kouga was so overwhelmed, so off balance, she fell off the bench trying to avoid him.

Her head hit the floor with a loud smack, the sharp pain helping to clear her mind and regain control.

“Kouga-chan!” Obito leaned over the bench, expression panicked, reaching for her  _ again, _ and Kouga was so fed up she slapped his hand away _ hard, _ barely resisting the urge to enhance it with her power. He recoiled, shocked eyes looking down at her. But a stubborn expression quickly replaced it. “Are you hurt?” he asked as he leaned closer again, though this time he kept his hands to himself at least.

“I'm fine.” she bit back sharply, regretting her tone when a hurt look flashed across his face. It wasn't Obito's fault she was reacting like this, and it wasn't fair to take it out on him, especially after all the help he'd given.

She sat up, bringing up a hand to the back of her head for any blood. Thankfully there was none.

Kouga sighed, suddenly feeling so... tired.

“Just a bump. Nothing to worry about.” she told him, trying to soften her voice. A muscle ticked in Obito's clenched jaw, and he was clearly biting back whatever things hhe wanted to say.

“Are you sure?” he finally asked in a measured and even voice. Kouga nodded in response. Obito let out a heavy breath, closing his eyes briefly. When they opened again, they were accompanied by a forced looking smile. “You've got to stop scaring me like this, it's not good for my health.”

Because clearly it had been his skull having a discussion with the floor. But she appreciated his attempt to ignore what had happened.

“I'll try to avoid frightening you.” she told him, letting her voice sound dry.

“Much appreciated.” he quipped back, smile turning genuine, eyes still worried. “So, want to try looking at yourself again? Without the drama this time? You're not  _ that _ ugly after all.” he teasingly continued.

“No.” she immediately answered. Maybe later, after she'd worked through the issues she apparently still had. But not right now.

Obito shrugged casually in return.

“It's your choice.”

Yes it was. 

Kouga stood, Obito keeping a careful eye on her, only picking up the mirror after he seemed sure she really was alright. He took extra care to wrap it up without aiming its surface her way. It was ridiculously thoughtful.

“Are there any other things, besides the food and mirror issues, I should know about? Just to avoid having you freak out again.” His question was light, teasing, but with a serious note woven underneath. And because he'd helped her, Kouga gave the answer some deep thoughts.

“I don't know.” she finally told him. “I'll let you know when something comes up.” Well, if something came up in his presence at least.

“Fair enough.” he said with a cheerful smile as he went to put the mirror back in it's place. He turned around, still smiling. “So... what do you want to do now?”

Kouga shrugged. She didn't have anything specific in mind. Wasn’t even sure if she wanted to stay with Obito. She was actually leaning towards exploring more of the grounds, she’d done a preliminary check yesterday, but if she was going to be confined to this limited space –in comparison to Inuzuri anyway– she wanted to know every nook and cranny.

“How about I show you around? I've been here for over a month already after all.”

Now that sounded  _ very  _ useful. Kouga nodded her assent, deciding to stay near him a little while longer. And also feeling bewildered by his lack of demand for payment once again.

“Awesome! You've got to see the gardens here, they’re gorgeous. Wait no, I'll show you the dojo's first, they are  _ unbelievably  _ huge. Apparently we're going to need a lot of space to practice. Wait, the auditoriums are closest from here, we should do those. Rin-chan really liked those too. Oh right, you haven’t met her yet, she's this really sweet girl, has the cutest dimples when she smiles, she–” And he was back to babbling, his behavior exactly the same as before. Kouga was pretty sure it was deliberate.

She'd really lucked out in meeting him. Not only had he helped her without asking anything in return –which, again, was so incredibly strange– but he'd also taken her uncharacteristic outbursts in stride. If she were in his place, she would've long since left. Then again, she never would've approached anyone so freely either.

Obito really had been incredibly useful. And… very kind as well.

“–is also where the Kido ranges are, don't go near them when you see a class, it's apparently life threatening. That's what Itachi said anyway, but he wouldn't joke about that. Actually, he doesn't joke about anything. Except sometimes I swear he does, but he’s such a quiet guy. You'd probably get along great. Anyway, he told me–”

“Obito.” she interrupted him, and he fell silent immediately, a shocked look on his face. She continued before he could recover. “Thank you. You're very kind.” Unnaturally so. But she wanted him to know she appreciated it.

And in response to her sincerity, a blush rose to his cheeks, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

“No problem.” he mumbled, his voice the softest she'd heard yet. It made him look surprisingly boyish, and Kouga felt a fleeting smile grow. Obito grinned back bashfully.

Maybe the Academy would be a little less worse than she’d feared after all.


	6. Exploring New Things

As suggested, Obito took her on a tour of the Academy grounds. Well, a partial one at least. And while Kouga had already done a rough inspection, this one went a little deeper. For one, this time she actually entered buildings.

The classrooms nearly all had windows, something she very much appreciated. There were also a handful of auditoriums, without windows unfortunately. But they were incredibly big, one even capable of holding a thousand men, build to maximize acoustics so the speaker was easily heard even at the back. Obito had demonstrated this by impersonating a teacher as Kouga herself sat in the back, and she'd heard him loud and clear.

The dojos for swordsmanship and hand-to-hand, called zanjutsu and hakuda apparently, were even larger, something that baffled Kouga. She liked the space they provided, but why would they need such ridiculously high ceilings?

The Kido ranges were right outside of those dojos, huge stretches of flat ground with neatly trimmed grass where they would apparently be taught magic. Or demon arts as Obito called them.

She didn’t see all the dojos though, seeing as there were four clusters of them, each for a Cardinal direction, and they only went to the Western ones. But after inspecting those five, she got the impression all of them were just basically giant rooms.

Then there was the library, a place Kouga didn’t really know how to feel about. On one hand, it was easy to hide between all the bookcases and cabinets. On the other, the spaces between those cabinets were incredibly narrow and hard to navigate, easy to be trapped in. They hadn’t stayed there long, going outside to the nearby gardens instead.

And Kouga had been enchanted. This was a place she  _ definitely  _ hadn’t explored yet. She’d only briefly passed through part of them yesterday, and in the night, the beauty of them hadn’t been clear. But it was now.

Tranquil ponds, ringed by meticulously groomed vines and artfully placed stones, a few heightened platforms scattered across to give the most perfect view. And flowers. So many flowers Kouga couldn't even begin to name them, bright splashes of color, a feast to the eye and nose. There were winding paths through the fields of grass, inviting you to simply get lost between all those flowers, blossoming trees dotting the scenery, small streams crisscrossing the grounds, the sound of rushing water soothing. Kouga had walked around with wide eyes in complete silence, even telling Obito to shut up when he continued to chatter on. She’d wanted to experience this perfect place without any distraction. 

Eventually, an annoyed Obito had informed her she'd been wandering here for over an hour. Kouga had wanted to stay forever, but since Obito's stomach had started grumbling –already? It hadn't even been a day since he'd eaten!– she'd allowed herself to be lured away by the promise of food.

So now they were back in the cafeteria, a lot more crowded than it had been this morning, and Obito was giving her pointers on how to use chopsticks in between devouring his own meal.

“No, don't grip them so hard, you have to hold them  _ gently _ , only put pressure on the tips of your fingers.” he said with a smirk, using his own utensils to demonstrate. Kouga tried to pick up another radish and fumbled, the vegetable slipping free, dropping to the table. Again.

She let out an irritated huff, frustration growing with each failed attempt. The worst part was how easy Obito made this look.

And he was also laughing at her again, enjoying her fumbling way too much.

“It's amazing how much you suck at this.” he said in a far too pleased tone. Kouga ignored him, trying to pick up the radish instead, all her focus on holding the two sticks steady. Slowly, carefully, she brought the two chopsticks together, trying to exert just the right amount of pressure–

The vegetable skittered across the table.  _ Again _ .

Screw it. Kouga picked the damn thing up by hand and bit down with a vengeance. She'd practiced enough for today.

“Giving up already?” Obito said in a mock innocent voice. Kouga shot him a dirty look in return. It made him snicker and scoop up some rice with how own chopsticks with flourish, making the action seem disgustingly easy. 

Kouga quickly ate her own meal, her practice with the chopsticks having made it so that she'd only been able to eat a few pieces. She set about correcting that. And it was still so unbelievably  _ delicious _ . Kouga doubted she'd ever get used to this. She didn't want to either.

“You better not mess up your hair.” Obito said with a playful grin and chopsticks pointed at her accusingly. “I put way too much effort in it for you to ruin it with those grubby paws.”

Staring back impassively, Kouga slowly brought up one slightly sticky hand. Obito's eyes narrowed, grin turning into a scowl.

“Don't you dare.” he commanded fiercely. Kouga extended a single finger, brought it towards her hair, almost touching it–

“Uchiha!” The loud shout broke their intense staring, Obito's head snapping to the side with wide eyes. And then a huge, silly smile bloomed. Seeing his attention was diverted, Kouga dropped her hand and continued eating.

The burn of the peppers was  _ amazing _ .

She was still very carefully not looking toward  _ that  _ person, who was now looking towards the girl who’d shouted. And he was looking with vague...  _ interest _ .

Fuck.

“Rin-chan.” Obito breathed out softly, eyes almost literally sparkling. Kouga unobtrusively observed the young woman, practically still a teen as well, stomping over with some curiosity. So this was the girl Obito had a crush on. He'd described her well, with her smooth brown hair and flashing eyes, she was just as pretty as Obito had said. Poor thing. Kouga couldn't judge the girl's smile though, her lips currently pulled down in a scowl.

The brunette ignored the glances thrown her way as she crossed the room, stopping next to their table, planting her fists on her hips and looking down her nose at Obito. Who was now looking extremely uncomfortable. And just a little confused as well.

_ That  _ person looked over both Obito and Kouga briefly, before losing interest in what was happening at their table, eyes roving around the room once more.

Thank  _ fuck _ .

“Where were you?” the brunette snapped at Obito. “We were supposed to meet over two hours ago!”

Obito's face turned horror stricken, seeming on the verge of a panic attack.

“I'm sorry!” he actually wailed. “I forgot!”

“You  _ forgot? _ I waited for you for over an hour Uchiha!”

Obito flinched at her scolding, his expression becoming truly pathetic, an almost literal cloud of doom hanging above his head.

“I'm really sorry Rin-chan.” he said in the most miserable voice possible. Combined with his pitiful look, Kouga supposed some might be persuaded to forgive him. The brunette certainly seemed to think so, letting out a deep sigh as her hostile posture relaxed, bringing up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose instead. It lowered Kouga’s own tension immensely as well, the threat of immediate violence disappearing.

“And what exactly was so important that you forgot we were supposed to meet?” she asked, sounding completely exasperated. Obito glanced towards Kouga with a guilty look, a plea for help. Kouga ignored it as she continued munching on the last of her soybeans. It wasn't her fault Obito had forgotten about a meeting she'd known nothing about.

But the look served to bring the girl's attention to herself. The brunette blinked in confusion, as though only just realizing there was another person present.

“And who’s this?” she asked Obito, seemingly befuddled. Obito cleared his throat softly and gave Rin a sheepish smile.

“This is Kouga-chan. She's new, and I've been showing her around. That's why I forgot.”

“Oh.” the brunette said softly, still looking off balance. Then she sighed deeply once more and dropped into the chair next to Obito. And just like Obito, she genuinely didn’t seem to care she’d made practically the entire room a giant blind spot. Unbelievable.

“You shouldn't have left me hanging like that Obito.” she told him, but there was no more heat behind the words, only resignation. It made Obito wince though.

“Yeah, I know. I'm  _ really _ sorry.” he said once more. Rin gave him a long look, before giving a small smile, eyes softening.

“Apology accepted.” she told him. And in return, Obito practically sparkled. Then the brunette looked towards Kouga. Kouga grabbed a handful of rice. “Hi, my name's Nohara Rin. You can call me Rin. What's yours?” she asked with a pretty smile indeed. The dimples were very cute. Such a shame.

But honestly, Obito had only just before told her Kouga's name, Kouga certainly wasn't going to repeat it.

“Don't mind her Rin-chan, she's just really quiet.” Obito said when Rin's smile began to falter. The brunette looked a little uncertain, but gave another smile again immediately after. Kouga finished the last of her rice.

“Where are you from? I’m from Kousakawa. That’s the Northern 13th.” Rin asked. Kouga brought up her bowl and licked it clean.

Obito groaned and gave Rin another sheepish smile.

“ _ Really _ quiet.” he emphasized fiercely.

“Then why is she with you?” Rin's question made Obito look heartbroken, and the brunette immediately scrambled to elaborate, looking slightly panicked. “I mean, you're not exactly a quiet person Obito, but not in a bad way! Just, you have a tendency to babble.”

That couldn't be more spot on. And the explanation worked, Obito's heart fixed as quickly as it had been broken, a wide grin breaking out instead.

“I'm just that awesome.” he boasted. “Everyone likes me.”

Rin rolled her eyes in response, but she was smiling as well. She turned her eyes away from Obito's antics and looked back towards Kouga.

“It's nice to meet you Kouga-chan.” she said and Kouga nodded back once. It made the brunette smile sweetly.

Honestly, people here were so  _ weird _ .

“So how did you two meet?” Rin asked, curious eyes still looking towards Kouga but her head tilted towards Obito.

“I sat down with her yesterday and we talked. Well, I talked and managed to get maybe five sentences out of her. But look at her! She's so adorable, how could I stay away? So when I bumped into her again this morning at breakfast, I offered her my help, show her around and stuff. Because I'm awesome like that.” Obito's cheerful explanation made Kouga arch a brow towards him. That was one way of putting it she supposed. Also, her? Adorable?

...Remembering the child that had looked back from the mirror, Kouga hated to admit it, but he kind of had a point. She'd have to do something about that.

“She doesn't seem to agree with you.” Rin's amused reply made Obito huff.

“It's the truth! Or do you disagree?” he challenged her, though Kouga didn't know why. If that's what he wanted to say had happened, she wasn't going to stop him. Kouga finished the last of her vegetables and licked both the bowl and her fingers clean, before refilling her cup of water.

Obito slumped into his chair, moodily playing with the last of his food. What was up with him now?

“Aren't you a little young though? I didn't know the Academy accepted children.” Even though Rin's voice only held honest curiosity, Kouga felt her eyes narrow in annoyance. Again with the age thing.

“Actually, that's a good question.” Obito said, mood lifting once more. Kouga gave him a cutting glare, Obito immediately lifting his hands in front of him defensively. “Hey, don't look at me like that, it's true! Spirits, even your uniform is too big!” Kouga's eyes narrowed even further. “I mean, how old are you? A decade? And really, even besides that, look at how tiny you are! Itachi said it’s rare for anyone who isn’t fully grown to enter, even I’m barely old enough, according to him anyway. Isn't there a minimum height requirement or something?”

Kouga scowled. She wasn't going to have this discussion.  _ Again _ . Even worse, have it with people who might actually be younger than her. So she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, focussing on observing the others present in the hall. 

The couple from this morning was back, only two tables away, and they were even reenacting the exact same scene from before. If she focused, she'd be able to listen in to their flirtation over the general chatter filling the room, but Kouga felt no need to do that at the moment.

“Is she ignoring us?”

“Yeah, she does that.”

On the table next to the couple was a man who kept sending looks of longing towards the woman, his brown eyes amazingly expressive. Either she didn't notice or she didn't care. Kouga was betting on the latter.

“And you think she likes you?”

“I know she does, otherwise she would've left.”

A frail looking woman with black hair, power coiled tight, was nervously walking between the tables, eyes flickering across the room. When she met Kouga's eyes, the woman flinched, hunching in on herself even more, power somehow pulled in even tighter. That was pretty impressive, Kouga couldn't even actively sense her anymore, not with all the other glaring signatures blurring together. Luckily, she had the gift of passive scanning.

Kouga had  _ never  _ been in the presence of so many powerful people. It was nerve wracking. Yet at the same time, nearly all the people here weren’t controlling their power, presences constantly fluctuating in a way that told her they literally couldn’t. That helped her tension, just a little. Well, that, and the fact that she’d already observed she was stronger than everyone here. In fact, until now she hadn’t seen anyone who had more power than her, though one person in this room came close.

Thankfully it wasn’t the person Kouga  _ desperately  _ wanted to avoid, Kouga absolutely  _ not  _ looking towards him fully. If he hadn’t arrived after she’d already gotten here, she would’ve never set foot in this room. Not until he’d left.

Except, of course, she hadn’t known he was  _ that  _ kind of person until she’d seen him.

But leaving now, alone, might attract that person’s  _ interest _ . That wasn’t something she was willing to risk. Ever.

“You just met her yesterday, how can you be sure of that?”

“Because I just spend the entire day, well, over half a day with her, and she really doesn't speak much. Like, the bare minimum, if even that. You have to read her body, not her words.”

As Kouga looked from the frail woman still walking through the room, towards a table with four people laughing loudly, she couldn't help but feel a little amused at Obito's choice of words. Now that put a disturbing spin on them spending time together.

“That's really disturbing Obito, she's just a kid.” Apparently Rin agreed with her, her voice low and serious.

“What? Oh, you mean– wait wha– no! I didn't mean it like  _ that! _ ” Obito's panicked voice made Kouga's amusement rise a little higher, while Rin laughed softly. At the table of four, two of the young men leered at the very curvaceous woman sitting alone at a nearby table, a third rolling his eyes in exasperation while the last of the four snickered. That last person had bright green hair.

While Kouga had been aware that people in this world could have strange hair colors, and eye colors as well for that matter, she’d only very rarely seen people who weren’t brown or black haired. And now, she was pretty certain that this was at least partially related to power. Because while the majority of the people in this room had brown or black hair, there were also a pretty significant number who didn’t. In fact, practically every color of the rainbow was present. 

Case in point, her own hair was naturally purple and red.

“I know.”

“Rin-chan!”

The skittish black haired woman finally sat down next a man with light blue hair, who was completely absorbed in a book. Yet when the frail woman sat down next to her, in a very sensible position Kouga noted, the man immediately put the book away and beamed, seemingly greeting her enthusiastically. The black haired woman smiled slightly in return, posture relaxing, just a little. 

And Kouga noted with  _ immense  _ relief that the person she wanted to avoid at all cost, was now leaving the cafeteria, a few people actually giving him wary looks as he left. Idiots, they were only drawing his attention.

“I'm just teasing. But you're right, she is adorable, even if she hasn't said anything. And such pretty hair.”

“You should've seen it this morning, it was trying to gain world domination and Kouga-chan wasn't doing anything to stop it. I took it upon myself to stop that from happening. And I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself.”

Obito certainly had a way with words. Kouga turned most of her vision back towards him and Rin. Who was looking at her hair intensely.

“Of course you did.” Rin stated in a voice that clearly stated she didn't believe a word he'd said.

“It's true!” Obito said, almost literally bristling. “It actually took me almost an hour to get it all straightened out.”

“Sure, you– oh!” Rin exclaimed as she met Kouga's own eyes. And then she blushed, looking embarrassed. 

Kouga honestly didn't get these people's reactions, why was she embarrassed?

“Kouga-chan, back me up here, I'm telling the truth, right?” Obito pleaded, and seeing as they'd let go of the topic of her age, Kouga didn't mind helping him out.

“He is.” she said, making Obito beam at her while Rin gave her a wide eyed look.

“Told you.” Obito stated in a very satisfied voice.

“You talk!” Rin blurted out and both Kouga and Obito looked towards her with surprise. The brunette blushed again, harder than before. “Of course you talk, what I meant was, well, this is the first time I've heard you speak.”

And this was relevant because? But Rin's response made Obito grin widely, dark eyes gleaming with amusement.

“Told you she was quiet. Bet she won't say anything more for a while yet.” he stated with utter confidence.

“You have a pretty smile Rin.” Kouga casually warned her. The shocked and betrayed look Obito shot her was perfect. It made Rin chuckle as well.

“You did that on purpose.” Obito accused her, which, obviously. “Alright, I bet you won't talk anymore now.”

Kouga gave him an impassive look in return. She wasn't going to make it that easy.

At her silence, Obito huffed and Rin chuckled again.

“You were right Obito, she does like you.” Rin teased him with a grin, before her eyes turned back towards Kouga. “And thank you for the compliment Kouga-chan.” 

Compliment? It was a warning.

“Rin-chan! Don't encourage her, she–” Whatever Obito said next was lost to Kouga as she snapped her eyes towards the side, tensing up completely as an  _ incredible  _ power suddenly entered her range. It was huge, vibrant, easily dwarfing the chaotic mixture of the hundreds of people present here. 

And it was  _ controlled _ . Kouga suppressed a shiver, actually allowed herself to close her eyes in an effort to better locate the reaper –because it couldn’t be anything else– letting out as much of her own power as she dared. But the myriad of other blazing signatures were blurring her sixth sense, even when enhancing it, making it impossible to pinpoint the threat's exact location. Opening her eyes again, she let her eyes follow along the walls, looking in the general direction she could sense that power. That  _ reaper _ .

“–wrong? Kouga-chan?”

Kouga absently noticed Rin's hand reaching for her, leaning back to dodge it, never halting her attempts to track the Shinigami.

“Kouga-chan, is this another Thing?” Even so focused, she could hear the capital letter Obito had used.

“No.” she answered curtly, because she'd told Obito she would.

“...Okay. Is there a reason why you're glaring at the walls?”

“Something– someone is out there.” she said shortly, tempted to let out more power to get a better sense of what she was up against, but not wanting to attract the reaper's attention either. Already she could feel a few of the others present in the room pushing back against her presence slightly, searching for her own power in much the same way she was doing. Kouga instinctively avoided their attempts to grasp her power with theirs. Most people here hadn't noticed though. But a rare few, less than a handful, were ignoring her own presence in favor for searching for that so much greater threat as well. Smart people.

“...It's probably just another student. Or a teacher.” Obito’s statement almost made Kouga snort. He said it like it actually meant something. Kouga didn't care who it was, only wanted to know where exactly the Shinigami was so she could avoid it. Because she stood no chance whatsoever if the reaper turned hostile. That power was practically as big as–

...No.  _ No _ .

“How do you even know someone is out there?” Rin’s question was ignored, Kouga keeping up her search for the reaper instead. And pushing the ridiculous notion away, because that was completely absurd. And panic inducing, which was  _ never  _ good.

“Are you using Reiatsu? How? We haven't even started lessons yet!” Rin incredulous statement was only vaguely processed, Kouga finally able to pinpoint the reaper’s presence, but not his exact location. She reached out with her own, carefully, delicately...

“Hey, maybe she's–”

The reaper  _ moved _ , Kouga pulling her power back, coiling it tight, tensing to leap out the window– A blur halted in the entrance. Kouga froze.

No way.

For one single moment Kouga didn't move, and in the instant it took to snap her out of it and to think of ducking underneath the table, it was already too late. Vivid blue eyes met her own, a bright grin immediately appearing.

“Chibi-chan!” The exclamation made abrupt silence fall from the tables nearest to the entrance, every eye there turning towards the reaper, his black uniform sticking out like a sore thumb. And then the reaper blurred forward, appearing next to her before Kouga even had a chance to try to jump out the window. “You made it!”

It was like looking at the sun, smile so bright it was almost literally blinding.

Kouga honestly wished she could close her eyes – _ never _ look away from danger– feeling a grimace break through the longer the Shinigami beamed down at her.

What the  _ fuck  _ was Minato doing here?


	7. Finding Some Familiarity

Minato kept beaming and Kouga kept grimacing, unable to keep her expression blank. It was a tense standoff –on her part at least, the Shinigami looked utterly relaxed– broken only when the blonde reaper started to chuckle, that bizarre fond look from last time back.

“I wasn't sure you'd come.” he said. Kouga continued to watch him warily, tension at an all time high. Why was he here? There was no way it was because of her, they'd only met once! Briefly at that! His being here had to be a coincidence, right?

Kouga fervently hoped so, she did _not_ want _a reaper_ taking _an interest_ in her.

“But I knew you'd pass if you did. And I was right! Bet you blew your examiner away.” the blonde Shinigami continued cheerfully. Kouga's continued silence didn't deter him at all. In fact, the reaper pulled out the chair next to her and promptly sat down, making Kouga scoot towards the edge of her own seat in return, trying to put more distance between them.

For a moment something flickered across his eyes, too fast to make out, before his smile came back, even sunnier than before.

“So are you going to give me your name this time?” he asked.

“Why are you here?” Kouga demanded instead. And now the reaper looked mischievous. It filled Kouga with dread.

“I'm here for you of course. Been dropping by for a while now to see if you made it.”

Oh _fuck_ , he really was _interested_ in her. Kouga chanced a quick glance towards the window, judging the distance. Could she make it?

“If you run, I'll just follow.”

Damn it.

“Erhm.” The soft sound Obito let out was loud in the silence that had fallen over the entire room by now. The bond Shinigami looked around in vague surprise, as if only just realizing he was the center of attention. Kouga refused to believe anyone's situational awareness could be that bad, the reaper had to be faking.

“Weren’t you all talking just a moment before?” The reaper’s voice was light and friendly. The effect was instantaneous. As one all eyes turned away, forced and excited chatter filling the air, many still sneaking glances towards their table. Kouga had to admit, that was impressive –and terrifying– especially because it had been done without any use of power.

Unfortunately, the distraction it had created had been too brief to slip away.

Minato turned his full vision back towards her. Or tried to, his gaze absently gliding over Rin and Obito, before abruptly snapping back to them. The two of them proved they had at least some sense of survival by shooting upright, only barely staying seated.

“Who are you two?” the Shinigami asked curiously. In response Obito let out a strangled squeak, the sound even more unintelligible than the last one he'd uttered.

“Nohara Rin, sir!” Rin exclaimed in an incredibly high voice.

“Uchiha Obito, sir!” And Obito followed her example, both of them seeming on the verge of fainting. Kouga hoped one or both of them would, then she'd be able to use the distraction to slip away.

She carefully channeled energy through her legs, ready for any opening. Immediately the Shinigami’s gaze snapped fully towards her.

“Don't even think about it.” he warned. Kouga suppressed the urge to grimace, mentally cursing. But she didn't let go of the energy gathered inside her legs. Judging from the reaper’s slightly narrowed, yet still amused eyes, he knew that as well. But he didn’t make a move towards her.

Not that that meant much.

Kouga very firmly reminded herself that the rules said that Shinigami weren’t allowed to kill Academy students. Or maim them. And while this was a cold comfort at best, because it’s not like she actually believed that reapers would play by the rules, it was still a little helpful in staying in control of the urge to flee. A very little.

“Nice to meet you Nohara-san, Uchiha-san.” the Shinigami said without moving his eyes away from Kouga. “I'm Namikaze Minato.”

“It's an honor to meet you Namikaze-fukutaichou.” Obito sounded _awed_. It made Kouga want to run even more, because fukutaichou? That sounded like a high rank, and more power meant more danger. The fact that Minato still seemed like a genuinely nice person did not help. In fact, it made it worse.

“Namikaze is fine, no need to be so formal Uchiha-san.” the reaper said with a grin, merriment dancing in the blue of his eyes, still looking towards her. Abruptly he leaned forward, Kouga _almost_ falling of her chair in an effort to put more distance between them. “Your hair's much nicer than last time.” he said as he leaned back, apparently having gotten a good enough look, Kouga unable to stop a soft sigh of relief from escaping. The Shinigami gave her a teasing grin, making that relief fade away, dread shooting high once more. “It must've taken you ages to unravel that mess.”

The reaper looked at her expectantly. Kouga made sure her face remained perfectly blank.

“It did.” Obito's voice broke the silence of their table, making the reaper turn towards him with a surprised look. Obito’s expression immediately turned uncertain, swallowing loudly. But then he rallied himself, straightening his shoulders. “Took almost an hour, but I managed.” he looked so very proud.

“Wait, _you_ did this?” At Obito's shy nod, the Shinigami turned back towards Kouga with a gasp, eyes almost literally sparkling. “Chibi-chan, you already made a friend.”

“No.” Kouga's answer came out without any conscious thought. And it made the reaper falter, while Obito gave her a hurt look.

“We're not?” Obito asked in a small voice and Kouga saw Rin's eyes narrow, posture becoming hostile. It made her split her focus, ready to defend herself at the first sign of any attack.

“We only met yesterday.” she told Obito as she kept her attention on both the Shinigami and Rin. She felt off balance, hadn't expected a reaction like this.

“Oh.” Obito sounded so hurt it actually made Kouga feel a small pang of guilt. Which was ridiculous, she hadn't done anything wrong.

“Chibi-chan, that's not very nice.” The reaper’s scolding voice almost made her frown. She wasn't going to lie just to be _nice_.

“I thought you liked Obito.” Rin bit out sharply, full of protective fury. Kouga somehow managed to tense up a little more, keeping a wary eye on her. But the truth was, Kouga had never said that, Obito had simply assumed she did.

Yet seeing him so miserable –over something so absurd– did make her feel a little bad, no matter how irrational that was. So because he'd been kind, because he'd helped her without any demand of payment in return, she told him the truth.

“I do like you. But that doesn't mean we're friends.” Friends were people she trusted, people who watched her back as she watched theirs. That wasn't what Obito was.

If the reaper attacked, she'd throw Obito in front of him if it meant she would live.

But her answer seemed to do the trick, Obito visibly brightening.

“So we're not friends _yet,_ but we will be.” he happily exclaimed. Kouga doubted it, she had no interest in opening up that way ever again. That didn't mean she couldn't enjoy Obito's company however. Because strangely enough, she did like him.

Rin was still watching her with narrowed eyes, posture remaining hostile, even if it was lesser than before. Combined with the reaper’s overwhelming presence, it was panic inducing, every muscle locked tight and ready to spring into action, Kouga almost unable to think beyond this moment.

“Aw, look at you, being so sweet.” Minato actually coed, because of course he did. That reaper was even more insane than others of his kind, Kouga was absolutely sure of this.

Silence returned and this time Kouga was determined not to break it. Maybe the Shinigami would go away if she did.

Probably not, but it was a nice thought.

“...So. Namikaze-san. How did you two meet?” Rin finally asked, her posture no longer aggressive in any way. And while Kouga was exasperated by the fact the silence had been broken again, she was relieved Rin didn't look hostile anymore. Now she could focus fully on the reaper again.

“She didn't tell you? No wait, of course she didn't.” the Shinigami said, sounding so bizarrely _fond_. “It's very simple. I saved her from a Hollow, she punched me in the face, and I recommended she take the entrance exam. And here she is!”

The problem with trying to keep the silence in the company of people, was that they were more than capable of having conversations without her input.

His very concise summary drew twin stunned looks from Obito and Rin, both of them gaping in astonishment at a grinning Minato, before turning wide eyes towards Kouga.

“You hit a fukutaichou?” Obito said in a faint voice. Kouga didn't answer.

“Got me right across the jaw.” The Shinigami, unbelievably enough, sounded proud of this. If he liked it so much, maybe she should do it again.

Except not, because he was a _reaper_. Worse, he was the most powerful reaper she’d ever met.

“You _hit_ a _fukutaichou_.” Rin apparently felt the need to repeat the obvious.

“How– _why_ – what–” Obito sputtered, before letting out a strangled sound that managed to convey disbelief, astonishment, a little curiosity and some more disbelief. Obito had quite the vocal range.

When Kouga stayed quiet, another strangled escaped Obito, mostly frustration this time, alongside deep exasperation and slight resignation.

“Kouga-chan!” he exclaimed, managing to put those exact same inflections in her name.

“Kouga? Your name is Kouga?” the Shinigami immediately said in an elated voice. Then he frowned, pouting just the slightest bit. “Hey, how come you told them your name but not to me? That's not nice chibi-chan.”

Kouga wanted to hit him _so much_.

She wanted to run even more.

“You didn't know her name?” Rin asked, bewildered once more.

“I don't know if you've noticed, but chibi-chan here can be a little quiet.” Minato answered dryly.

A beat of silence passed. And then both Obito and Rin burst out laughing, much louder than the simple statement warranted. The reaper leaned back in his chair, looking pleased and giving her another bright smile.

Kouga resigned herself to her fate. She wasn't going to get away any time soon.

* * *

 

Some time later, Kouga was sitting comfortably on a roof, hidden behind a large decoration, reflecting on what had happened.

The blonde reaper had stayed much too longer for her tastes, continuing to engage both Obito and Rin in conversation while preventing Kouga from leaving. He'd even managed to coax a few sentences out of Kouga herself, mostly questions. It had been tiresome and _unbelievably_ nerve wracking. But also very informative.

Apparently Shinigami were divided into thirteen Divisions, each one led by a Captain –recognized by their white haori– who were supported by their lieutenants –recognized by the wooden badges they wore– and Minato was one of those.

Kouga had been right, it was a high rank. A very high rank in fact. That actually made her feel a little better, the bond Shinigami was ridiculously powerful after all. It was reassuring that he was so high up on the food chain, that he was apparently the exception and not the rule. She'd suspected he was of course, she'd never met anyone with even a fraction of his power. But seeing how huge Seireitei actually was, Kouga had quickly realized there existed a lot more reapers than she'd ever suspected. So who was to say the ones patrolling the borders weren't simply the weakest of them all?

It was nice to have some idea of the what the upper power limit was.

Kouga had also learned that the Gotei 13 –who were apparently samurai– was only one of three Shinigami organizations. The other were the Kido Corps –magicians– and the Onmitsukido –who sounded suspiciously like ninja– That had been a surprise, she'd always thought the Shinigami worked for one single organization.

Minato hadn't said much about these other groups beyond a basic description, and had told them they'd learn more about them when lessons started. However, he had explained more about the Gotei 13. Not only was each Division led by a Captain and lieutenant, but each Division held somewhere between 300 and 400 members, with only the twenty to fifty strongest having what was known as a Seated position, and with the top two positions belonging to the Captain and lieutenant.

The teachers here at the academy, the full times ones at least, were all unseated officers, which was very good news. Judging from the power levels she'd picked up, Kouga thought there was a very decent chance she could eventually become a Seated officer. She didn't want to be the strongest, didn’t believe she ever could be. Not when there were reapers like Minato. But that was alright, being the strongest reaper would attract too much attention. Yet she certainly didn't want to be weak either, that would invite even more trouble.

What had also been interesting to learn, was that each Division specialized one way or another. The Second specialized in Hakuda, the Sixth in Kido and the Eleventh in Zanjutsu. But the other Divisions each had their own quirks as well. The Ninth was in charge of communications, the Third excelled at paperwork, the Twelfth at _cooking_ of all things. Minato had said it all depended on the Captain. His own Division, the Thirteenth, was apparently known for it's supportive abilities and excellent teamwork.

Hearing about all the differences between Division had made one thing crystal clear to Kouga. She wanted to join the Fourth.

The Fourth Division specialized in healing, and that was something Kouga desperately wanted to learn above else. The ability to heal yourself was _priceless._ What good was strength when you were literally gutted? Kouga remembered vividly how the blonde Shinigami had only seemed to need to touch her, and her wounds had disappeared. It had been the most impressive thing she'd ever seen a reaper do.

Of course, this decision was based on very rough and basic information, so it was possible she’d change her mind after learning more. She didn't think she would though.

Kouga closed her eyes briefly as she enjoyed the last rays of the setting sun, putting the issue out of her mind. Right now it wasn't important.

What was important, was the fact that Minato had said he would visit again, and specifically, visit _her_. Kouga sighed softly.

She was going to do everything in her power to avoid that.

* * *

 

Some weeks later, Kouga was hiding in a tree near one of the Kido ranges, pushing down her power as far as it would go. She didn't even try to sense where Minato was, by now the Shinigami was frustratingly sensitive to even the slightest brush of her energy. Last time she'd only barely managed to avoid him. She'd probably have to hide a while longer before he left if his previous visits were anything to go by.

And unfortunately, she couldn’t hide in Seireitei anymore. The first three times Minato had stopped by, that had been the perfect place, the people there masking Kouga’s own presence.

It was so _strange_ how everyone in Seireitei had power. And incredibly unnerving. Though at least most people didn’t even reach the weakest level of power the students had, so Kouga was confident she could take practically all of them. Especially as her own power had started increasing at a bewildering rate this last week or so. Not that she was complaining, more power was always good. Still, it was also… bewildering.

Kouga was pretty sure the food here wasn’t “normal” food. It would also explain why it tasted more intense. And smelled more intense too for that matter. The food here actually seemed to almost ping on her sixth sense. Almost.

One of the other very strange things about this place in general, was that in Seireitei, all people controlled their power. Except the few physical toddlers she’d seen. But other than them, all people had control. They didn’t hide their power level or presence, but their energy wasn’t spilling all over the place either. Like practically all students here did.

Still, all those controlled, yet unhidden presences, had been a great help in masking her own without blinding herself. Unfortunately, the fourth time he’d stopped by, Minato had actually managed to track her into Seireitei. And the time after that, he’d managed it even faster.

A _reaper_ was now _attuned_ to her presence. Just the thought made Kouga shiver slightly, cold fear creeping up her spine. So she did her best not to think of it. Which wasn’t easy, seeing as the blonde Shinigami was searching for her.

Again.

So Kouga had gone and hid in one of the gardens, power pushed down as far as she could. Which was unbelievably unnerving to do, making it impossible not to be on highest guard. It made her disturbingly blind to her surroundings, no pure sixth sense to constantly keep track of the people around her. But it was still better than the blonde Shinigami finding her.

She leaned more comfortably against the three, shifting her balance a little so she could better jump away, categorizing the different sounds around her, scanning her surroundings visually once more. The part she could see from behind the foliage anyway.

She honestly didn't get why people kept bothering her, it's not like she invited them to do so. Yet both Minato –who “visited” every few days– and Obito kept following her around, and even Rin was beginning to do the same. Though Obito and Rin were useful and, surprisingly enough, often even pleasant company. Rin had even said she'd teach Kouga to read and write.

Incredibly useful company. And unlike with Minato, Kouga was capable of ditching the two whenever she wanted to.

She desperately hoped the blonde Shinigami would give up this habit soon. If he did this until classes started –or worse, even longer– Kouga would go mad.

“I have a proposal.”

Kouga _tensed,_ eyes snapping down, meeting the calculating ones of the brown haired man who always scarfed down his food at an incredibly fast rate. The one who’d been incredibly weak the first time she’d seen him, but whose own power had also grown exceptionally since then. Though he was still weak, not even reaching average strength.

He was one of the people she was sure was from an outer District as well.

“What is it.” she shot back curtly, suspicion at an all time high.

“You're strong. Stronger than me.” he told her calmly. Kouga narrowed her eyes a little further, considering. But if he wanted even the most basic protection, he'd have to offer something good to make it worth her while.

“What are you offering?”

The man smirked slightly in response.

“A warning for the reaper who keeps hounding you, if you protect me from anything that isn’t a real danger to you.”

Kouga tilted her head slightly, interest rising. The man's smirk grew a little deeper, pleasure rising at her own reaction.

“A _permanent_ warning.”

“Deal.” Kouga immediately agreed. The man nodded in satisfaction, before closing his eyes briefly, his energy spreading out.

“He's searching the Southern Kido ranges right now. If he follows his usual pattern, he'll start making his way first to the Eastern ones first, before beginning to come here.” the man told her, making Kouga smile fleetingly. Excellent.

She climbed down the tree, not using her energy in any way. Hitting the ground, she straightened and met the man's eyes fully.

“Has he gone to the dorms yet?” she asked him.

“Started his search there.” the man answered. Good, that meant Minato probably wouldn't expect her to return there. Hopefully.

She'd go hide on one of the roofs just in case though.

Kouga gave the man a grateful nod.

“I'll be in the cafeteria when the sun starts to set.” she informed him. By that time, the blonde Shinigami should've given up and left. Which meant that's when she'd have to keep up her end of the bargain.

The man nodded back in agreement, and both of them went their separate ways. Kouga started to sneak towards the dorms, power still pushed down to the point of blinding, taking extra care to stay out of sight. Her small stature was actually very useful for that.

She felt a little more comfortable, blonde reaper searching for her or not. This was the first normal conversation she'd had ever since she'd gotten here.

* * *

 

“...And you are?”

Kouga kept focusing on picking up some rice with her chopsticks, ignoring Obito's hesitant question. Next to her, the brown haired man held his arm in front of his food protectively, picking up a piece of something drenched in sauce and chewing contently, not scarfing down his food at his usual rate.

Obito sighed and gave Kouga a pointed look. Kouga managed to pick up a small lump of sticky rice, satisfaction unfurling as she bit down.

“Is it normal not to give your name in the outer Districts?” he asked her.

“Yes.” the man's curt answer made Obito turn a bewildered look his way, Rin watching the proceedings from next to him with an amused smile.

Kouga found it odd that this habit apparently transcended borders. It’s not like people actually made contact with other Districts after all.

“At least he's not as quiet as Kouga-chan.” Rin cheerfully stated, before taking another bite of her own meal. Kouga scowled briefly as she failed to pick up a piece of carrot. Carefully tried again.

“Why is it normal not to give your name?” Obito asked the man. Kouga managed to pick up the carrot, felt satisfaction unfurl– scowled as it slipped from between the chopsticks. Again.

She put down the two sticks and started eating using her hands, savoring the delicious taste.

“Why is it normal to give your name?” the man shot back dryly, picking up another piece of something drenched in juice, lips curving contently as he bit into it.

“...Because it's common courtesy?” Obito continued in a confused voice.

“Obviously it isn't, seeing as it’s not common where I’m from.”

“Doesn't that make things difficult though? I mean, how do you know if someone's talking to you or someone else?” Rin asked, leaning forward with interest. The man picked up the last piece of something drowned in juice.

“By paying attention.” he said, and plopped the maybe meat, maybe vegetable into his mouth. Obito and Rin shared an exasperated look before looking back towards the man, who finished chewing and swallowed. Then he licked his bowl and fingers clean. He leaned back in his chair and began individually scanning all people present once more. Kouga bit down on some onions, savoring the taste.

“...But it's your _name_.” Obito articulated slowly. The man nodded once, eyes still roaming over the other people present.

“Exactly, it's _my_ name.”

Obito groaned loudly and closed his eyes with a grimace, Rin chuckling softly next to him.

“That doesn't make any sense at all!” he exclaimed.

The man rolled his eyes and gave Kouga a look that clearly asked why she was sitting with these two. Kouga shrugged in response and tapped her chopsticks. They were useful.

The man sighed softly and returned to watching the others around them, conceding her point.

“Okay, that's just weird. Are you from the same District?” Obito asked, making Kouga frown slightly and turn most of her vision towards him. Why would he think that?

“No.” the man said, sounding curious as well. Obito gave the both of them a long look, expression blank. Then he sighed deeply, a sound of complete surrender for some reason. Rin snorted and bit her lip, looking so incredibly amused.

“So if you don't want to tell us your name, will you at least tell us where you're from?” Obito asked in a long suffering voice.

“Sakahone. Eastern 76th.” the man answered as he returned to watching the people around him.

“...What was it like there?” Obito asked, morbid curiosity shining from his eyes. The man kept watching his surroundings.

“Bad.”

“...Right. So... how did you and Kouga-chan meet?”

“Why did you give them your name anyway?” the man asked her. Kouga shrugged as she quickly finished licking her bowls clean, no one really looking towards their table.

“The teachers all know our names.” she answered, and licked her fingers clean.

“Yeah, but classes don't start for... I think another two months or something. So why tell _them?_ ” the man asked.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

Both of them ignored Obito's indignant demand. And Rin's amused smile.

“It's apparently a clear sign you're from the outer Districts. Better to blend in as soon as possible.” Kouga answered. Though admittedly, her body kind of made that impossible, she was the only student who was a child. In fact, aside from her, Obito and Rin were some of the youngest ones here. Physically at least.

So yes, there was a limit to how far she could blend in. But there was also a difference between being an oddity, and being a giant target. Because from what she’d managed to piece together, there were not many people from outer Districts here –which was apparently everything lower than the 60th– Not many _at all_.

And while Kouga was aware that licking her plates clean was a glaring sign that she was from an outer District, this was one habit she wasn’t planning on changing soon.

It was _food_.

Though she tried to do it discreetly. As in, if she ate within view of other people, she tried to make sure something was blocking their view of her doing so. Like Obito or Rin.

The man groaned softly, conceding her point one more. He gave Obito and Rin a long, calculating look. And then he grimaced.

“...Hayate.” he finally forced himself to say. Obito blinked in confusion, while Rin's smile grew. Kouga felt a little amusement rise as well.

“It's nice to meet you Hayate. I'm Nohara Rin and this is Uchiha Obito.” she told him cheerfully. The man –Hayate– rolled his eyes in return. This time Kouga gave him a bemused glance as she drank some water. This was kind of fun.

“So how did you meet Kouga-chan?” Obito's question made Hayate groan and give Kouga an exasperated look. Kouga smirked slightly and tilted her head, showing off her clean and untangled hair. Very useful company.

Hayate sighed and gave Obito and Rin a critical look. Then he aimed an inquisitive look Kouga's way, tilting his own head with it's clean, but incredibly tangled brown hair towards her. Kouga immediately shook her head. There was no way she was going to untangle his hair, no matter what he offered. She wasn’t even sure if she could to be honest.

Hayate sighed softly once more and flickered his eyes to Obito and Rin, before looking back at her with another calculating and questioning look.

“Probably.” Kouga answered, the two were ridiculously helpful like that. Hayate wavered.

“Will you go too?” he finally asked. Kouga nodded in return. The baths were paradise, she had no issues with going there. Though depending on how many people there were, she’d probably wait to enter until one was near empty. But then, she got the feeling Hayate wouldn’t mind that one bit. Would maybe, or even probably, prefer it. He seemed sensible like that.

At her answer, Hayate shifted most of his gaze back to the two sitting in front of him, looking at them critically, debating on who to choose.

“Are you _sure_ you haven't met before?” Obito's question made Hayate look towards Rin, decision made.

“Could you help me untangle my hair?” he politely asked her. Rin's eyes went wide with surprise. So did Obito's, though Kouga noted with some amusement it wasn't just from surprise, but from jealousy as well.

“...Ah. Sure?” she answered hesitantly. Hayate gave her a briefly confused look, probably from the lack of demand for payment, before he nodded decisively, expression turning pleased.

“Great. Finish your meal and we can go see if a bath house is free.”

Obito's jealousy grew. Kouga smiled fleetingly.

“...Right now?” Rin asked, looking completely off balance.

“No, _after_ you finish your meal.” Hayate's command was firm, eyes narrowed dangerously. Kouga actually felt a quick grin grow.

Finally, someone who acted _normal_.


	8. Interlude 1

**Minato's Gloom**

Namikaze Minato, a laidback and happy person, one of the most pleasant people to be around... was moping. He slouched, he sighed, waves of near tangible angst rolling off him. The only thing missing was a dark cloud following him around.

Ukitake Juushiro, Captain of the Thirteenth Division, looked over his lieutenant and realized something had to be done. Normally he wouldn't push, trusting his squad to come to him if they needed help. And Minato very rarely did, his sunny disposition ensuring any issues were resolved long before they could fester.

Which was why it was so odd to see him looking so gloomy, his usual cheer conspicuously absent ever since he'd returned from his training trip in Rukongai almost three weeks ago. Juushiro had asked of course, but the blonde had assured him everything was fine –obviously a lie– and that he'd encountered no troubles.

Juushiro had been, not content, but willing to let it go, assuming Minato would've told if it was anything truly serious, trusting his lieutenant would work through whatever issues were plaguing him. But he hadn't. In fact, he'd grown worse with every passing day, and Juushiro had to field an ever increasing number of inquiries from the rest of the Division, many of them growing more and more agitated the longer the blonde sulked.

Not to mention the inquiries were growing more and more ridiculous with each passing day. Just yesterday he'd had to assure Kakashi that no, Minato hadn't been force fed an experimental dish of the Twelfth which had reversed his personality. Honestly, the things his squad came up with.

Another sigh interrupted his thoughts, and Juushiro decided enough was enough.

"Minato-kun?" he began lightly.

"Yes Taichou?" Minato answered dejectedly.

"What's troubling you?" Juushiro's question made the blonde give another of those depressing sighs.

"It's nothing Taichou."

Juushiro gave him a look. It made Minato groan.

"Really, it's not important."

"Minato-kun." Juushiro made his voice gentle and understanding, yet stern as well. It was a tone he'd perfected over the centuries, and it always worked. This time was no different.

"I met a girl." his lieutenant blurted. Juushiro stared at him in utter astonishment. Of all the– this was literally the last thing he'd ever expected to hear, and Juushiro floundered, completely caught off guard.

"Ah." he answered inanely, and mentally slapped himself, telling himself to get a grip. This was serious. "Have you spoken to Kushina-chan about this?" he tried to continue delicately, but Minato simply looked at him in confusion.

"Well no, she's away on a mission, but why– Ukitake-Taichou! Not like that, she was just a kid, barely reached my stomach!"

Juushiro let out a soft sigh, overwhelming relief coursing through him. The thought of the Eleventh Division's Fourth Seat's reaction if Minato ever fell for anyone else was honestly terrifying. But Juushiro quickly pulled himself back on track.

"And this child is the reason for your troubles?" he asked. His lieutenant sighed deeply in return, depression instantly returning.

"Kind of. She was being attacked by a Hollow. I saved her, then tried to heal her and..." Minato fell silent. Juushiro gave him a worried look. Tried to? That... That would explain it.

"But you didn't succeed?" Juushiro asked gently, compassion rising. If the child had died, it would certainly account for Minato's state of mind. Especially since he was rather accomplished at Medical Kido.

But instead of the expected sorrow, his lieutenant actually grinned brightly, the first Juushiro had seen since his return.

"Not at first. She resisted something fierce, and quite successfully too." Minato brought up a hand to rub his jaw, a fond look appearing. "Got me good."

"She hit you? And it hurt?" Juushiro was intrigued. His lieutenant was a prodigy, would probably reach Captain-level within half a century or so. Yet this child had managed to hurt him? How extraordinary.

"Yeah, she did. She _really_ didn't want me to help her. You should've seen it Taichou, one moment I'm about to start healing her, the next she channeled Reiatsu and _wham_." Minato exclaimed proudly, a wide grin still on his face. This child had truly impressed him.

"The channeling was deliberate?" Juushiro asked, only realizing he sounded incredulous after he's spoken. But it was rare for anyone who hadn't had any training to consciously control their Reiryoku like that, never mind an immature spirit.

Minato laughed merrily at his question.

"Oh yes, it was definitely deliberate. She actually used it to halt her bleeding, and to boost her speed as well. And I swear she actually felt me heal her. It was amazing." he said, more animated than Juushiro had seen in weeks. It was incredibly satisfying to see. And yet...

"It sounds like you had an interesting meeting." Juushiro tried to probe carefully. The more Minato explained, the less his mood made sense. If anything, he should've come back more cheerful than ever.

"Yeah, real interesting." his lieutenant said with a soft smile, no more information forthcoming. Time for the direct approach.

"So what about this child troubles you so?"

And Minato's smile dropped, blue eyes darkening. He kept quiet, thoughts focusing inwards. Juushiro waited patiently.

When the answer came, the blonde's voice was low, words slow and drawn out.

"I first sensed her just as she was about to be eaten by a Hollow. I had to release Hiraishin to get there in time. But after I dispatched the Hollow... Taichou, she looked at me as though I was a monster worse than the beast could ever be."

This was not what Juushiro had expected. He didn't know what he'd expected to be honest, but it wasn't this.

"Maybe she was still in shock." he tried to suggest. But Minato snorted his head with a bitter grin, something Juushiro had only seen a handful of times in the years he'd known the blonde.

"Oh no, she knew exactly who and what I was. In fact, she wanted me to leave her alone instead of healing her, no matter that she would've been maimed for life at the very least. Most likely she wouldn't have been able to survive her wounds. Yet she just... she kept crawling away from me. And when I said I wouldn't hurt her, she looked at me as if I was an idiot for thinking she would believe that." The blonde grimaced, closing his eyes briefly. "It was like she thought I was going to do worse things to her than that Hollow ever could."

Juushiro pursed his lips. It was an unusual reaction, people were sometimes wary, but not actually afraid of the Shinigami patrolling their homes. In fact, the only places where– oh. Well. That would explain everything, now wouldn't it.

"Minato-kun, where exactly did you meet this girl?" Juushiro hoped his suspicions were wrong.

"The Southern 78th." his lieutenant answered, and Juushiro closed his eyes briefly. As he'd feared.

"Ah. I see."

"...Taichou?"

How to explain?

"You know the outer Districts are very poor, the people there live hard lives." Juushiro began, meeting Minato's eyes, his lieutenant straightening under his gaze. "Because they are so poor, most people, starting from around the 60th's Districts, try to leave the area almost to the last person. If all of them succeeded, we would be facing an enormous overpopulation crisis in the other Districts. So the Onmitsukido patrolling the borders are authorized to use lethal force to stop this from happening."

His lieutenant stared at him in horror and even betrayal, making Juushiro feel a sharp stab of guilt, no matter that he knew they were only doing what was necessary.

And rousing an old, simmering anger, the sensation making Sougyo No Kotowari stir.

"I– _Lethal force?_ I knew the Onmitsukido regulate the immigration flow but... Ukitake-Taichou, how can they, can _we_ , use _lethal force_ against civilians!" Minato exclaimed in horror.

"Because it is necessary." Juushiro bit back sharply, temper flaring in a way it so rarely did, Sougyo No Kotowari awakening fully in return. Juushiro send a wave of calm towards his Zanpakuto, but Sougyo No Kotowari remained active at the back of his mind, an almost playful feeling of vengeance rising as Juushiro's own anger refused to die down. This was one of the few issues he'd never been able to make peace with.

His reaction made his lieutenant fall silent, giving him a surprised and uncertain look, yet still appearing so betrayed as well. And Juushiro let out a tired sigh, anger returning to dormancy, only weariness remaining.

_Aww_

The simultaneous and disappointed voices of Sougyo No Kotowari made Juushiro feel reluctantly amused. Such bloodthirsty spirits he had. But that amusement was fleeting, deep weariness soon returning. Juushiro sighed softly once more.

"You have to understand, the circumstances in which these people live, causes many of them to do horrible things simply to survive. Some of them, when they cross Districts, never change their ways, and keep on committing atrocities." he told his lieutenant. Minato's stubborn look indicated he didn't understand what that meant.

"So just because _some_ people do bad things, all of them–"

"The last person from the Northern 60th who made it to the 48th, murdered over five hundred people." his sharp retort made Minato fall silent in shock. Juushiro gave him a hard look, needing to convey the gravity of this. "When I say they commit atrocities, I am not exaggerating Minato. And yes, not all who live there do so, but the damage even one person can do is too great to allow. Because it is not the Shinigami who suffer, it is the civilians."

He could see his lieutenant still wasn't convinced. But Juushiro hadn't expected that. Minato was too idealistic for his own good. And funny, didn't Yamamoto-sensei say the same thing about Juushiro himself?

"But to authorize lethal force... Why don't we just scare them off?" his lieutenant asked.

"And how would we do that when their homes are such hard places already? Without the threat of lethal consequences, there is no incentive strong enough to hold these people back. Which of the two options is the lesser evil?" he said, ignoring his fierce guilt.

And that same simmering  _anger_.

_Will we?_

_We should_

_No_ he told Sougyo No Kotowari firmly. This was not the time for their particular brand of justice.

 _But Juu-chaaan_ both his spirits whined in unison.

 _No_ he repeated firmly once more. In return, Sougyo No Kotowari send petulant pouts his way.

"There has to be another way." Minato declared fiercely.

"There isn't." And it wasn't just because of what Juushiro had told the blonde, though that was part of the reason as well.

The dark truth was, Soul Society _needed_ places like that. Places where souls were reincarnated back into the living world almost as soon as they arrived. Places where the exchange of souls happened in far greater number than would ever happen naturally. When there weren't any...

The balance of souls was so much more fragile than most realized. And it seemed as though with every century that passed, fewer and fewer in the Gotei 13 were aware of this. Sometimes Juushiro wondered why Yamamoto-sensei wanted to suppress this knowledge so much. Seeing Minato's reaction, he understood a little better.

"But if we changed the way they lived–" Minato began, and Juushiro cut him off with another partial truth.

"You think we haven't tried? Remember your history, _all_ of the Rukongai was once like the outer Districts. It wasn't until the Gotei 13 was created order began to appear. We've done our best to make life good and peaceful for the average citizen, but the truth is, we can't help everyone." And suddenly Juushiro had to suppress a bitter snort, a memory from long ago becoming crystal clear, just for a moment. He'd had nearly this exact same discussion before.

Except Juushiro had been the one arguing for better living conditions, and Yamamoto-sensei had been the one to explain why that was impossible. But back then, Yamamoto-sensei hadn't tried to hide the truth. Back then, Juushiro and his class had been told _exactly_ what would happen if all of the Rukongai were to be _civilized_.

It was a knowledge that still made his anger -his _rage_ \- rise every time he thought about it. No matter how long it had been.

Because Juushiro knew _exactly_ what it was like to live in a place like that, knew what it did to people, the scars that _never_ stopped bleeding. No matter how much time passed. All because his parents had refused to abandon their son. All because of _the stain_ Juushiro had brought to the Ukitake House.

_It wasn't fair_

_No it wasn't_

_But we showed them_

_We showed_ _**all** _ _of them_

_And Juu-chan..._

_We can do it again_

_Absolutely not_ Juushiro said to the both of them. His spirits had no restraint whatsoever.

Sougyo No Kotowari pouted petulantly once more.

 _Spoilsport_ both of them accused simultaneously. Juushiro had no trouble with being one. Not when it came to his spirits.

Much too bloodthirsty.

"So that means we should just give up? Just leave things as they are?" Minato said, angry in a way that was as rare as Juushiro's own temper.

"We have no choice." Juushiro said, becoming exhausted as he said it, anger fading away, making Sougyo No Kotowari send childish disappointment towards him.

Because there truly was no choice. There _always_ had to be a large – _too_ large, so much _death_ – amount of spirits that were constantly being reincarnated. Yet Juushiro couldn't tell that to Minato. Yamamoto-sensei's orders forbid it. And Juushiro had to admit, part of him was relieved he wouldn't have to.

Most of him wasn't.

 _No_ he repeated once more to his two giggling spirits as their near playful vengeance flared sharply again.

_Maybe not now_

_But one day..._

_No._

Minato gave him another hard, and even cold look, refusing to accept this. Juushiro let out a tired sigh, absently rubbing his chest as a dull ache began to throb. Sougyo No Kotowari immediately send waves of comfort towards him, their hugs warm and gentle in a way no physical touch could ever be. His little bloodthirsty, and so very sweet spirits.

"I don't like it anymore than you do Minato-kun, but sometimes life isn't fair. No matter how much we want it to be." Juushiro had understood that a very long time ago.

"I can't believe that Taichou. I refuse to." his lieutenant bit back harshly. So young. So idealistic. It was one of the things Juushiro liked most about him.

"I know." he simply replied. Minato stared back defiantly, before pointedly turning back towards his work.

Juushiro closed his eyes briefly and rubbed his aching chest again, Sougyo No Kotowari still sharing warmth and comfort. Juushiro was glad they did. He couldn't help but feel awful, the conversation having solved nothing. In fact, Juushiro was pretty sure he'd only made things worse.

He let out another soft sigh and returned to his own paperwork, picking up the damage report from last week's incident at the barracks. He should try to keep his anxiety down, another attack was soon coming, and stress would only make it hit harder.

"I told her she should enter the Academy next term." The brisk statement pulled Juushiro's gaze back towards his lieutenant, and he met blue eyes burning with a challenge.

Juushiro did not say how little chance there was that the child would do so.

"Then I hope you'll see her again soon." he told Minato instead. By the relaxing of the blonde's shoulders he could tell it had been the right call. Both of them returned to their paperwork in silence, but the air was no longer so tense.

It hadn't solved the argument, but it was enough to hold the peace.

For now.

* * *

**Ibiki's Surprise**

The knock on the door so soon after the last candidate, made Morino Ibiki sigh softly. But he quickly placed his report inside his desk and leaned back in his chair.

"Enter." he called out, and watched as Inari Shinko led another potential student inside.

The potential student was a small child. Ibiki didn't change his expression, but for one single moment he was truly surprised, the feeling making his Zanpakuto awaken fully. Immediately after, he took in the too thin features, the dirty, tangled hair and the mark on her cheek. His surprise faded away, his Zanpakuto becoming disinterested once more.

"Morino-san, I have another recruit." Inari said cheerfully, and Ibiki allowed himself a scoff. As great at stating the obvious as always.

"Of course you do." he shot back, before looking back towards the incredibly tense child. She was doing an admirable job of keeping her expression blank, but the hard line of her shoulders and the too tight grip she had on the small sack thrown over her shoulder screamed her discomfort loud and clear. Among other signs.

Her eyes were full of mindless terror.

"Well girl, don't just stand there, get over here." he ordered, mind shifting fully to the task at hand.

The child took a deep breath, before resolutely marching forward, placing her pack at her feet, and _hopping_ on the chair placed in front of his desk.

Outer District or not, this girl was much too young to be here.

But seeing as she'd made it all the way to the Academy, the very least he should do was treat her the same way he treated every potential student. So Ibiki ignored Inari's departure and examined the child closely. She tensed up even further the moment the door fell shut, shifting her balance, every part of her ready to flee. Barefoot, clothing mismatched, thrown together, hanging off her too thin frame. Dark hair a tangled mess. Faint smudges of dirt across the visible parts of her skin, mostly concentrated on her feet and underneath her fingernails. Pack of food sitting at her feet. Carefully watching, utterly terrified eyes. Textbook outer. Though she was relatively cleaner than most, and didn't smell as bad as some. But she still had a strong odor.

As for her Reiryoku... While Ibiki could sense she did have some, it wasn't enough to make the cut. Except she was an outer. Child or not, the odds of her already having a firm basic control were near certain. As were the odds that she was using that control to hide her presence as much as possible.

He send out his Reiatsu towards her, increasing his output a little as he immediately felt her own Reiryoku shy away from his. But he was still unable to connect to it to get a read on her level. Aside from the fact that she most certainly wasn't spiritually null.

So Ibiki made his frown a little harsher and released more of his power, reaching for hers fiercely.

The child did nothing more than tense up even further in return, her Reiryoku remaining pushed down tightly, Ibiki still unable to connect with it. The girl's breathing remained firmly under her control as well, body not bowing down to the invisible pressure aside from her increased terror, eyes widening a fraction further.

Ibiki smoothed out his expression, snorted softly, and pulled back his Reiatsu, still observing the child closely.

"You've got guts at least." he told her, honestly a little impressed by her relatively unfazed reaction.

His statement made confusion flicker briefly though the girl's green eyes, but her expression remained blank. It really was impressive, immature spirits usually weren't capable of restraint like that.

Ibiki pushed away the thought of why this child was capable of it. The cause behind it was irrelevant.

He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and let his eyes visibly examine her form, pointedly halting a moment too long on the mark on her cheek. The child didn't react to the gesture in any way, honestly uncaring. And still so completely terrified.

"You're pretty young for the Academy though." Now that remark made annoyance flash through her eyes, making Ibiki feel just the slightest bit amused. Touchy about her age, but not her District?

"How do you know how old I am?" the child abruptly demanded, the first thing she'd said. Ibiki let both his brows rise in return. She really did have guts, most outers didn't dare ask Shinigami _anything_. Well, the peaceful ones at least. For a relative term of peaceful anyway.

And by her behavior, it was perfectly clear this child was one of those.

"By looking at you and taking an educated guess." he answered dryly, curious as to how she would react, the emotion as always making his Zanpakuto send a wave of its own vague interest in return. Ibiki estimated that she wasn't older than a decade at the most, it would definitely explain her attitude. Though admittedly, that could simply be caused be her immaturity as well. Children, no matter what age, always had trouble with restraint, a consequence of their physiology.

The child frowned, brows lowering just a fraction.

"How? People don't age at the same rate. I could be centuries old." her retort made his amusement rise once more, and Ibiki allowed his lips to twitch. Curious little thing.

Because that question had revealed she honestly didn't know how old she was. Not surprising, given her District.

"That's not exactly true." he began to explain. "People with high enough Reiryoku do age slower, but most are fully grown around a century, a century and a half at most. There's absolutely no way you're older than five decades, tops." And not only would that require a certain level of Reiryoku, it also meant she had to have arrived practically as a newborn. But the odds of that were so small as to be zero. Not when she originated from a 78th District. "But more importantly, you're a child, no matter how old you are. Your Reiryoku is still incredibly immature, and most people don't even try to join until they're almost fully grown. At the least. For good reason too, becoming a Shinigami isn't easy." he continued, figuring he might as well be thorough.

He observed with interest as his answer actually made the girl relax a fraction, her eyes shining with relief, a very small smile appearing for the blink of an eye. And Ibiki wondered whether she understood the gravity of what he'd just said.

"You still want to join?" he asked in a pointed voice, carefully observing her every reaction, trying to gauge her awareness of what she would be signing up for. Or what she'd thought she'd signed up for.

The child nodded without any hesitation. But it wasn't in a way that said she hadn't given her answer any thought. Instead, it made it clear that she had given her answer a _lot_ of thought before even coming here. And she wasn't going to change her decision easily. Even though she really didn't want to become a Shinigami. Didn't want to become what she thought that would mean.

Ibiki's lips twitched without his consent, a grimace nearly breaking through. He didn't have the right to feel guilty. His Zanpakuto firmly agreed with that, before it became disinterested once more.

"Then the first thing we need to do is measure your Reiryoku. If you don't have enough, the rest of the test doesn't matter." he told her, wordlessly casting a very low level Kakusu over his hand before picking up the Sensory Stone from his desk, taking note of the fact the child had tensed up utterly once more. "Here." he said and held it out towards her. Then he waited for her to react.

The child hesitantly brought her own hand forward, palm up. Ibiki moved his own hand over hers, high enough that she wouldn't think he was going to touch her, and dropped the Stone into the center of her slightly cupped hand. His curiosity rose one more, the feeling making his Zanpakuto vaguely interested as always. How strong was she?

Was she strong enough?

Yet the Stone remained dormant, her level of Reiryoku not enough to make it awaken. Not even a little. Ibiki sighed, allowing his disappointment to cross his face as a weight dropped down his shoulders, his Zanpakuto's interest fading away in response to his reaction. She really seemed like she had potential.

But without enough Reiryoku, that potential wouldn't matter.

His reaction immediately made the girl's tension shoot through the roof, panic flashing through her eyes. It made his compassion rise, no matter that he had no right to it.

Unfortunately, he hadn't ever been good at expressing it.

"Pity. But not unexpected. Guess that's that." As soon as the words left his mouth he wanted to grimace. He didn't. Instead he reached out his hand, palm up so she could give it without touching.

The girl immediately pulled back her own hand. Ibiki deliberately lowered his own hand completely, unhurried but not too slow.

He wouldn't violate her personal space, not even in the smallest way. Not when she was from an outer District.

"What did I do wrong?" Her panicked question made Ibiki want to grimace again. Instead he did his best to turn his expression soft. He was pretty sure he didn't succeed.

"Nothing. You simply don't have enough Reiryoku." His answer made the child give him an incredulous look, terror still radiating from her every part. "The Stone is meant to draw out your Reiryoku. If you had enough, it would've started glowing. But if you still want to join, you should try again after... not the next time the Academy has exams, but the time after that. You'll probably make it then." he continued. Because while she was too weak now, she certainly wasn't spiritually null. There was a good chance that, if allowed to mature, she would reach the level of Reiryoku required to enter.

Given her District, the odds of the child surviving that long almost zero. And the truth was, she would probably only be able to succeed on the third try. But six decades was an impossible time in a District like hers. Four were already testing the limit. It was why Ibiki had said two terms instead of three. That was a still possible goal. Barely.

With it, she might have the hope needed to make it that long. He couldn't offer her anything more than that.

Ibiki held out a hand, palm up so she could give him the Sensory Stone without touching him. But instead the child relaxed slightly again, relief blooming inside her eyes. She opened her clenched fist, mostly glanced down towards the Stone and...

The child pushed Reiatsu towards it. The Sensory Stone glowed.

And Ibiki was finally able to get a lock on her Reiryoku, shock flaring high, only absently aware of his Zanpakuto awakening fully, a coldly calculating presence at the back of his mind.

The child was strong. Maybe even a little stronger than himself.

A child, with the Reiatsu of a slightly above average unseated officer, without her having a Zanpakuto. A child, who'd managed to keep hold of her Reiryoku when holding the Sensory Stone, who even now was only giving the barest of openings to sense her through. A child, who had her growth stunted by a lack of nutrition.

A _child_. An immature spirit who, by her very definition, was only able to access a fraction of her full potential.

And Ibiki knew he was looking at a spirit who would one day attain the power of the Final Release.

The girl lifted her full gaze back towards him and tensed up completely once more, shifting her balance instinctively to flee. It made Ibiki realize that his astonishment was visual, his eyes a little too wide.

"...Is this enough?" she asked, voice fearfully hopeful. Ibiki got himself back under control, smoothing out his expression. But he allowed himself to give her another long look, his Zanpakuto still watching with ruthless calculation as Ibiki remained just the slightest bit off balance.

Because a spirit of her potential was... rare. _Very_ rare. The last similar case had been lieutenant Namikaze, who'd been the first of that potential in well over a century. Though Namikaze had been much older when he'd arrived.

"Yes. It is." he finally answered. It made the girl grin feetingly, eyes gleaming with pure delight, and for one brief moment, she truly looked her spirit. She pulled back her Reiatsu, disappearing to most of his sense, the Stone returning to dormancy. She placed it on his desk with another fleeting, but so very bright smile.

She didn't even realize how extraordinary it was that she was able to keep the Sensory Stone from connecting with her Reiryoku.

Ibiki cleared his throat, curiosity rising with a vengeance, his Zanpakuto still observing from the back of his mind with ruthless calculation.

"How long have you been able to control your Reiatsu like that?" he asked. The child remained silent, eyes becoming the slightest bit unfocused, thoughts aimed inwards. After a moment, she shrugged.

"I don't remember a time I couldn't." she answered. Ibiki allowed himself an amused huff.

"Outers. Always a surprise." he mused out loud, the weight on his shoulders falling away. Even for one of rare people who came from the outer Districts, this child was... exceptional.

And she was so young.

"So I pass?" the child asked, that same fearful hope shining through once more. Ibiki shook his head in return. Technically she hadn't yet. Technically.

His gesture made the child immediately tense up completely once more, mindless panic and uncertainty flashing through her eyes.

"Not yet, you still have to answer some questions. But they're mostly meant to judge your character and motives. There's very little chance you could give a wrong enough answer to fail, especially with your potential." he admitted, wanting to reassure her. It worked, her tension lowering slightly, mindless panic fading from her eyes, returning to their previous state of terror.

Potential like hers was too valuable to let slip by, no matter what kind of person she was. Though it helped immensely that she was a peaceful outer. And even if there were any glaring issues, she was so young that she could easily be steered over the decades it would take for her to reach maturity. Even then, it would take decades more, if not a century, for her to reach Captain level.

But the potential was there. Very much so.

The girl made another fleeting smile, the green of her eyes briefly brightening with joy. And relief. Such enending relief. Ibiki couldn't help but share the feeling himself.

He wouldn't have to send her back.

He allowed himself a soft cough, a little embarrassed by his own reaction. And guilty as well, part of Ibiki loudly mocking him for feeling good about _not_ sending someone back to what was certain death. That part of him made his Zanpakuto send a sensation best interpreted as a derisive snort. His Zanpakuto was a bastard like that.

He opened a drawer and grabbed a standard questionnaire, placing down the papers in front of him and picking up a brush. The way the child's eyes briefly glanced over the top sheet told him she didn't know how to read, pupils not reacting in any way, blanky gliding over the characters.

"Alright. What's your name?" he asked. And even if she hadn't already passed in all but name, he still would've asked.

He always asked.

The child hesitated, fierce reluctance flashing through her eyes. Apparently she was one of the outers extremely possessive about their name.

"...Kouga." she eventually forced herself to answer, before adding with the barest hint of forcefulness "Written like Steel Fang."

Ibiki allowed his lips to twitch. She was a cute little thing.

"It's nice to meet you Kouga." he told her honestly. "Now. What made you decide to become a Shinigami?"

Ibiki focused fully on her body language as she started answering. It was his job to create an accurate and detailed profile of the candidates that made it to this stage, doubly so for someone of Kouga's potential. And he would be expected to refine that profile over the next six years spent teaching at the Academy.

It was so much easier for the Onmitsukido to start their observations as soon as possible. Meant less unexpected surprises in the future.

* * *

**Obito's Resolve**

Uchiha Obito couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, trying to most impossible positions, but it was no use.

He couldn't stop thinking about the little girl he'd met. Kouga.

When he'd seen her, standing there all alone, his first thought had been about Naori. His little sister was a happy, energetic child, always begging to play. Seeing this small kid, skin over bones, sleeves and pants rolled up, barefoot, her hair a tangled mess, and staring at the food as if she couldn't believe her eyes, had tugged at his heartstrings.

His second thought had been that she was _way_ too young to be here. And yes, Obito himself was only six years older than his twenty year old sister. But the idea of _Naori_ going to the Shinigami Academy?

 _No_.

Yet Kouga had been wearing the uniform –which looked ridiculously big on her, the sleeves were _rolled up_ – so she must've passed.

Still, it had been difficult enough for himself to get used to his new surroundings, to find friends, to start feeling comfortable again. In all honesty, he'd only just begun to do so, and he'd been here for over a month now. How much harder would it be for someone so young? So he'd gone over after she'd taken a seat, thinking he could offer some help, be a friendly face in a sea of strangers.

Except it had become almost immediately clear Kouga didn't want that.

It had been unsettling how easily she'd ignored him, how solemn she'd acted, how _silent._ In stark contrast to what he'd expected from her appearance. He'd barely been managed to get her to say her name, and the longer he'd stayed, the more uncomfortable he'd felt.

But Obito wasn't a quitter. So he'd pushed through his uneasiness, and had continued his word vomit as he'd tried to get her to speak. And eventually he'd succeeded, even if it was just having her ask him how he'd known she was from the outer Districts. Which, well, was kind of really obvious. But he'd just been happy he'd gotten her to talk, and had answered the question. After which she'd gone right back to ignoring him. Of course.

So he'd continued babbling, hoping to hit another topic she'd be interested in.

And for some reason, his brain had decided _cannibalism_ was a perfectly acceptable choice.

Obito pushed his face into his pillow and screamed.

Stupid! Idiot! _Moron!_ Hadn't Itachi told him the lower Districts were poor? Like, _really_ poor? That Obito's own life was so unbelievably _easy_ in comparison to theirs? Spirits, just how insensitive could he be?

But he hadn't thought the rumors were actually true! He couldn't even imagine what kind of place Inuzuri had to be, to have _cannibalism_ of all things!

Yet her _eyes_. It hadn't been the cup shattering which had silenced him. Nor her too blank expression, in a way Itachi's could sometimes be. But her _eyes_...

What had Kouga lived through to make her eyes seem so dead?

Obito flopped to his back, staring sightlessly up into the darkness.

He wanted to help her, now more than ever. Even if Kouga didn't want it herself. The thought of _Naori_ looking at him in the same way Kouga had...

Maybe the fact that Kouga was a cannibal should put him off. And the knowledge did make him a little –okay, a lot, a _very lot_ – queasy. But throughout his –admittedly very short– interaction with her, he'd never gotten the feeling she was a bad girl. Erhm, person. She was just... broken.

And so very alone.

Which sounded suspiciously like pity, Obito knew it did. And he _wouldn't_ pity Kouga, no matter her age. Not when she came from a place with _cannibalism_.

Obito... was so out of jurisdiction on that one, he literally had no right to ever judge. In any way. He could actually hear his uncle preaching to him about personal bias, and the importance of an objective perspective, just from thinking about it.

But if it had been his sister, if it had been _Naori_ –

A heavy sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes. Then he pursed his lips and nodded determinedly, resolve hardening. He was going to help Kouga, whether she wanted to or not. If it had been Naori, he would want someone, _anyone,_ to do the same for her. 

So how could Obito do anything less?

But he would watch his words from now on, no more repeat of his foot meeting his mouth!

Feeling calmer with this decision, tension leaving his body, Obito finally felt sleep beckon. Tomorrow would be a new day, a day in which he wouldn't step on sensitive topics, in which he would be friendly and helpful to Kouga. Obito was absolutely sure of this.

* * *

Then, of course, the Food Thing happened.

* * *

**Hayate's Courage**

Gekkou Hayate had made his choice.

It had a difficult one to make. This place, both the Shinigami Academy and Seireitei as a whole, was...

He'd expected the constant increase in tension and terror of course, had even suspected that all the people here would be extremely odd. That the rules would be completely different than anything he'd be familiar with. He'd... very much wanted the rumors about the food to be true, so that was another kind of expectation he supposed. But he hadn't expected...

Well.

He hadn't expected to be surrounded by powerful people _all the fucking time_. Not just in the Academy, that Hayate had expected. But he hadn't expected the people in Seireitei itself. Because _all_ the people there had power. Though rarely as much as even the level he'd been when he'd arrived. But _all_ had power.

Hayate also hadn't expected practically all the students to be literally _incapable_ of controlling their power. As in, it was just spilling all over the place. Without any care. Without even _attempting_ to control it.

And yet, the people in Seireitei all had control. It wasn't hidden, _no one_ was hidden, not even in the simplest of ways. But the people in Seireitei all kept their power was contained. They weren't a bonfire to his mind's eye from the moment they entered his range. Like almost all the students here were.

But what he most _definitely_ hadn't expected, was that all the people here, Seireitei people, students, and even fucking _reapers,_ were not just extremely odd.

There were completely _insane_.

He'd known that about reapers of course. Yet the forms their madness took on in this place, gave a whole new meaning to the word insane.

And terror.

Hayate observed three students walking down a path in the gardens. They were utterly unaware of their huge blind spots. Literally. Unaware.

Completely insane.

Hayate didn't get the people here, he really didn't. Well, aside from a handful of sane individuals.

Hunters and predators were _extremely_ rare as well. Both in the Academy and Seireitei itself. This was something Hayate was so _unbelievably_ fucking grateful for this. And so completely bewildered by as well. But mostly _unbelievably_ fucking grateful. It almost made up for the amount of reapers. Except not really. 

But it was because he didn't get the people here, that he'd made his specific choice. And other reasons as well of course.

The most important reason for even doing this was very simple. Hayate wasn't strong enough.

But then, he never had been.

Hayate knew he wouldn't make it here, not on his own. Not when the rules would change when "classes" started, and he couldn't disappear into Seireitei whenever a threat neared. When he'd be forced to spend time with reapers. _Interacting_ with them.

And being confined to a place where Hayate's own power was not even enough to be called average...

No, Hayate wouldn't make it. Not on his own.

He wished his brother was still here.

Hayate shifted a little further into the shadows, keeping out of sight of a student who was beginning to near uncomfortably close. One who couldn't control their power, but whose raw strength was bigger than his.

As the student followed the path instead of continuing towards his general direction, Hayate mostly looked back towards the tree he'd tracked the girl to. She'd hidden well, but Hayate had always had a sharp eye. The occasional small movements of a few leaves, always in the same general area, without any corresponding breeze, betrayed her location loud and clear. Though it had taken Hayate quite a while of patiently searching before he'd caught the occasional slight movements. And it had only been luck he'd seen a flash of her as she'd been making her way towards this garden.

The girl was one of the very few sane people here. But that wasn't the most important reason Hayate had chosen her.

The girl was _powerful_.

She was also incredibly good at hiding her mental presence, better than he himself was. It was why he'd had to search by sight. Hayate knew from experience that if he actively tried to sense her, even when being this near, he wouldn't be able to get more than a vague feeling that she was somewhere in the immediate vicinity. Which, given how strong she was, really was impressive. Though it was rare that she went to these lengths.

It was incredibly terrifying to be mentally blind after all.

Normally, the girl only hid her power and muted her presence, not erase her exact location like this. But when he'd first seen her, she'd lost even that control for a brief moment. And in that moment, Hayate had sensed her power.

The girl had been strong. Even stronger than– than some reapers he'd sensed. She'd been the third strongest person in the Academy.

And that had been when she'd first gotten here. When Hayate had first arrived, not that long before her, he'd been fucking _terrified_ by the fact that he'd been so incredibly weaker than everyone here. Yet, after eating so _unbelievably_ much, _all_ the fucking time, his power had _soared_. He was still weak, but so much less than before. And he desperately prayed that his power would continue to increase until he was average. He didn't dare pray for more.

And if his own power had grown so much, it meant the girl's had as well. She'd already begun filling out at an incredible pace as well after all, same as him. So she'd already been strong when she'd arrived, but by now she would be _powerful_. More powerful than any other in the Academy.

And Hayate wouldn't be able to make it on his own.

After the girl's brief loss of control, he'd observed her whenever he could without attracting her attention to this fact. By now, he'd concluded she was a quiet and level headed person, who had already formed a very loose alliance with two others here. Both that brown haired woman and black haired man were completely insane though. But the girl was using them to better blend in.

Not that this would help much. Even when adjusting her appearance, even when she no longer looked quite so starved, her youth made it impossible for her not to stick out. Though Hayate would admit, the untangling of her hair had helped immensely. She still stuck out, but no longer in a screaming _I am from an outer District_ kind of way. Aside from the fact she still frequently ate with her fingers. And licked her dishes clean.

And of course he knew his own hair made him stick out like that as well. Though at least he'd managed to get himself up to the immense standards of cleaning here. But he just...

It was so fucking impossible to get the knots out without ripping out entire chunks. He'd tried, and his tangled hair was now covering up the results. Hayate knew hair like that would make him stand out even more, so the tangled mess was the lesser of two evils really. Same with the "chopsticks" people here used to eat. He'd been practicing, in places where no one could see him, but kept fumbling. That would draw even more attention than simply eating with his fingers.

And he simply couldn't quite stop himself from licking his plates clean. Every time.

Anyway. The girl hadn't been the only one he'd observed of course, but she'd been the one he'd wanted to find most beneficial for what he planned to do. And to Hayate's satisfaction, she was. If not for one huge, heart stopping, fucking  _terrifying_ fact.

There was a reaper. A reaper who was _interested_ in her.

It was why Hayate had put off his choice for so long. Because while the girl really was perfect in every way...

There was a _reaper_ who was _interested_ in her. And not just any reaper, but the most powerful one Hayate had _ever_ sensed. Even the girl's power was a fucking speck of dust compared to _that_.

And yet that blonde reaper... didn't seem to want to hurt the girl. He never did. In _any_ way. This was what Hayate had picked up from his own observations at least, when the reaper always briefly stopped by the girl's allies, before going after the girl herself. He'd seen it happen twice, and had overheard conversations about the times he'd missed.

And from those observations, it seemed that, insanely and unbelievably enough...

This was a _reaper_. Who was _interested._  And yet he didn't...

He didn't act like a hunter. He didn't act like a predator either.

But he also didn't leave the girl alone, kept searching for her every time he passed by. And cornered her whenever she couldn't get out of his range fast enough. Though Hayate had only felt that happening once, not that long ago actually. The sensation of the girl suddenly appearing to his mind's eyes had been difficult to miss. Not when he'd already been focusing so hard on getting out of that reaper's range without attracting notice.

And that fucking, mind numbingly _powerful_ reaper, could widen his range _a lot_. Tendrils of his power reached this place even now, when the reaper's own presence was so far away. Hayate could only sense a vague general direction, stretching out towards a distant point in his mind's eye. Because this was the most powerful reaper he'd ever sensed.

Hayate firmly kept his own power tightly contained, not allowing the reaper to reach for it. Never mind that the reaper's own wasn't actively reaching for his. But Hayate knew that the reaper could sense his presence, even though his power didn't reach for Hayate's own. It was why the girl was hiding like this. By now, it wasn't enough for the girl to simply disappear into Seireitei. Because that fucking reaper had already become _sensitive_ to _her presence,_ like–

And yet...

And yet when he did corner her, the reaper did nothing else than _talk._

Completely insane. And so, _so_ fucking terrifying.

But while the fact that the girl had a fucking reaper, even worse, _that_ fucking reaper being _interested_ in her, was so _unbelievably_ fucking _terrifying_...

It also presented a perfect opening.

Except there was the risk. The huge, giant, glaring _risk_. Because if Hayate went through with his choice... that reaper could very well become _interested_ in Hayate himself. That fucking  _reaper_ could become _interested_ –

Hayate _flinched_ , phantom pain –it's not real, _it's not real_ – and that _voice_ – _pretty, pretty flower_ – ruthlessly pushed down because _he would not let her win!_

Hayate _slammed_ the memories back in their cage. He wouldn't –let her win– leave. He wouldn't. He'd promised his brother he wouldn't.

But just _the idea_ that there might be _a chance,_ that _that_ reaper, could become _interested,_ in _Hayate_ –

Hayate flinched, _forcing_ the cage to remain closed.

And yet...

And yet, while that risk would be there _constantly_... the potential benefits actually did outweigh some of the possible outcomes. Well, it did when he factored in the fact that he would need to learn how to interact with reapers –he would _never_ let her win– no matter what. And also reminded himself very, _very_ fucking hard that reapers had their own rules, their own punishments, and that students of the Shinigami Academy were not allowed to be attacked or killed or taken away. On purpose at least. And they would check for foul play. Or so the reaper who'd told Hayate the rules had said.

Not that Hayate really believed him, but it was still a nice thought. And helped him to stay in the barest control over his terror. Oh, the rules counted for the students, that was clear by now. But a reaper? Yeah right.

Fucking reapers.

And he was going to be –like _her_ – one of them.

Hayate almost flinched again.

He wished his brother was still here. So much.

A few leaves rustled slightly in the spot where he knew the girl was hiding. Hayate sighed.

He was stalling.

He took a deep breath and gathered all his courage, drawing up his every shield. He'd made his choice. Now it was just a matter of seeing things through. He silently moved forward, approaching the tree from the girl's most likely blind spot, not wanting her to run before he could talk to her. He was going to ask her for a huge favor, and desperately prayed his counteroffer would be enough. If he was _really_ lucky, which was very unlikely, then it would lead to permanent protection.

Because Hayate wouldn't be able to make it on his own.

That was the most important reason he'd decided to do this. The most important reason he'd chosen this girl. But it wasn't the only one.

And even though Hayate was _terrified,_ even though he simply wanted to run away from this entire fucking thing, this entire fucking _place_...

He thought his brother would've approved of his choice. Because after observing her, he thought that maybe, with a lot of effort and luck, then just _maybe_... there might possibly come a day he could call this girl his friend.

Halting next to the tree, Hayate looked up. Saw a flash of a red and white uniform high up in the branches, the girl's head leaning back against the trunk, mostly looking straight forward.

Gekkou Hayate had promised his brother he'd become a reaper. So he would.

Gekkou Hayate had promised his brother he'd try to find a true friend. So he would try.

"I have a proposal."

The girl's eyes snapped down, ready to run, wary and suspicious.

Hayate could almost see his brother smiling, looking so very proud. It made that unique warmth rush through him, the sensation rare and precious.

It almost felt like hope.

Hayate wouldn't be able to make it on his own.

But maybe, just maybe... he wouldn't have to.


	9. Pure Power

“Congratulations to you all. Among all the hopefuls who tried, _you_ were the ones who succeeded. The ones who have the potential to become Shinigami. But just because you have the potential does not mean you _are_ Shinigami. Not yet. The road to becoming one is long and difficult, it will require your absolute focus and all your effort. In this Academy we will hone your skills, will make you reach that potential, turn you into proud warriors of Seireitei. We–”

Kouga kept listening to the reaper’s speech from the back of the full auditorium, expression perfectly blank. The reaper made it sound so amazing, as if they’d be anything more than glorified butchers.

Next to her Hayate’s expression was just as blank. He agreed completely. Yet both Obito and Rin looked as if they were actually buying this load of crap. Unbelievable.

Kouga unobtrusively observed the sea of people in front of her as the Shinigami continued the opening speech of the year, the reaper explaining they would all share the same classes for a month, before they would be divided into groups according to their level. Kouga studied the nearest rich nobles who made up a minority of the students here. The rich nobles were ridiculously easy to spot by behavior alone, most either confidentially relaxed or arrogantly smug. Already having had training would do that to you she supposed.

Kouga had to admit, she was curious how she herself would do. She knew she had a lot of raw power, but power wasn’t everything.

Kouga wondered how she would fare in classes.

* * *

 

Of course, classes didn’t start that day. Instead, the near thousand students were split up into groups of thirty men each.

That morning, Kouga had had been snapped awake by Hayate as a reaper approached. They’d left the vicinity until the reaper had passed. And when they’d returned, it was to find a sheet on every door the reaper had passed. On it had been the information that she’d been placed into one of these a specific groups, and Kouga had even been able to figure out that the sheet held her name, her District, and her weekly schedule of classes as well. Though she hadn’t been able to figure out the locations or subjects. Same with Hayate, after they’d gone to his room as well.

Luckily, Obito and Rin had been more than happy to help with that. And Kouga had been very pleased to learn she’d been placed in the same group as Rin, that would make things a lot easier.

The two had also excitedly informed her and Hayate that they’d be getting their Zanpakuto that day. By now, Kouga knew that, those swords every Shinigami had? They weren’t actually swords.

They were _pieces of their soul_.

And even more bewildering than that, had been Hayate’s reaction to this information. Kouga had gotten used to him being the only sane person around. Yet after a momentary surprise, he’d simply shrugged and _accepted_ that. His explanation?

 _Well, if reapers can make lightning by saying a few words, then I guess they can put a piece of their soul in a sword too_.

How the _fuck_ were those two things even slightly related? One was simply using your power, even if she didn’t get how. The other was putting a piece of _your soul_ in _a sword._

Just... what the fuck?

That was the second most bizarre thing she had learned since she’d gotten here. The first? Apparently this world was made up of ghosts. Apparently everyone here was a spirit who’d once been a living person.

Apparently this was heaven.

Kouga hadn’t even tried to suppress her manic giggles when she’d learned that piece of information.

It had been the only way to stop herself from bursting into hysterical crying instead.

It had also served to completely freak out Obito who’d explained this, and even Hayate had given her a disturbed look.

So yes, apparently everyone here was a ghost. Somehow.

Kouga had absolutely _no clue_ how that was possible. Because even aside from the fact that she knew she looked completely different than in her first life –her hair was _naturally purple and red_ – even ignoring that everyone here seemed to be Asian –including Kouga– there was also the fact that Kouga remembered _being born_ . Not just becoming aware she was a baby, Kouga remembered _being born_.

It was her very first memory of this world, the experience extremely painful and utterly terrifying. At the time, Kouga had believed nothing would ever be able to top it.

Kouga had learned a lot since then.

But the fact remained that if this was the afterlife –she refused to call _this_ heaven– then how the _fuck_ had she been _born_ here? Because after questioning Obito, Rin and Hayate, she’d learned that all of them had simply woken up here one day, like the people Kouga had observed in Inuzuri. The ones who eventually lost all their memories completely. And the only reason Obito and Rin knew this was the afterlife, was because other people had told them so.

Also, Obito’s family? All of them were adopted, not related by blood like Kouga and her mother had been. And after listening in on a few other conversations, she’d discovered this was apparently the norm.

So how was _her birth_ even possible?

Kouga hadn’t asked that question out loud, didn’t want to draw attention to herself. Especially if this really was something that should be impossible. But she still longed to know the answer. In fact, with every new thing she learned –and she was learning a lot– more questions arose.

One of those questions was how people simply accepted things like putting a piece of _their soul_ in _a sword_. Obito and Rin she could understand, apparently this was pretty standard knowledge in the higher Districts –which meant everything above a 50th– But Hayate hadn’t known any of this, same as Kouga. And yet, he hadn’t found anything odd about it, had simply accepted it in the same way people accepted the sky was blue. It was just the way it was and that was that.

Kouga had immediately made a mental note to find out whether this was simply a personal quirk of Hayate, or whether other people –either from Rukongai or Seireitei itself– all shared this attitude. So far, the evidence pointed towards yes. But Kouga had only been able to observe a few conversations about this –all supremely casual– not enough to draw firm conclusions.

She hadn’t asked Minato because, well, she preferred to keep the times he cornered her to the absolute minimum. Not to mention that there were other things she preferred to ask him when he did manage to corner her. Questions about her power. Or how people were supposed to put a piece of _their soul_ in _a sword_.

His answer to that particular question?

 _Don’t worry chibi-chan, you’ll find out soon enough_.

Stupid Minato.

Kouga had no idea how it was even possible to, apparently, _split your soul in two,_ and when she’d asked Obito, the most informed about these things in their group of allies, he’d simply shrugged in response. And had given her a weird look when Kouga had expressed her pure bewilderment. So had Rin. Hayate hadn’t cared though.

And as Kouga joined the mass of people gathering at the Southern kido ranges, she only observed confident excitement, nervous excitement, bloodthirstiness, wariness, or fear, all in various combinations. Not one hint of bewilderment, not even from the people she’d already pegged as being from an outer District.

So today they would all be given a sword they were supposed to put a piece of their soul in. And apparently _no one_ found that odd.

However, just because everyone would get a Zanpakuto today, didn’t mean they would all get them at the same time. It was why everyone had gathered at the kido ranges. A single dojo was specifically prepared to receive their Zanpakuto. And slowly, every numbered group was called forward one by one, disappearing to her sixth sense in a supremely disturbing way the moment they stepped into that room. That thing had to be shielded somehow. And didn’t that have so many wonderful implications.

Of course, the first groups to get a Zanpakuto, were all composed solely of rich people. Rich nobles in fact. No one needed to spell that out for her, it was obvious in their highly controlled power, their perfectly tailored uniforms, their finely crafted accessories. In their very way of _walking_.

All of them, weak or powerful –and most of them were powerful, a very noticeable gap between them and the majority of the students– moved with a thoughtless arrogance none other here matched. They were completely sure of their own worth, of their place in this world. Of their own invincibility.

They were the most delusional of all people here.

But these very rich nobles were the exception, not the rule. And by now, Kouga had also learned that being a noble didn’t necessarily mean being wealthy. Well, aside from living in a safe place overflowing with food. Because that _wasn’t_ being wealthy to these people.

No, being a noble seemed to have more to do with whether you came from Seireitei itself, or from the Rukongai. Of the near thousand students here, more than half came from Seireitei itself. How did she know this? Because people from the higher Districts of Rukongai did not have any control over their power whatsoever. It was just constantly spilling all over the place, only incredibly high emotions ever making it spike. They practically lit up her sixth sense.

But the people who came from Seireitei all had control.  And yes, that control varied greatly, from being practically at reaper level –she’d once observed a few rich nobles casting spells– to just not letting it fly through the air all the time. But it was still more control than those from the Rukongai had.

Except for people from the outer Districts, including Kouga and Hayate. They all had greatly above average control. Not reaper level, but very high in comparison to most here. Some of those people were also constantly hiding their power level as much as possible, Kouga only able to get an accurate read on them when using her passive scanning. As always, she was so very grateful for that particular gift. Even more grateful it was a rare one. Maybe even a very rare one. Though of course, she couldn’t be completely sure about that.

There were also people from the outer Districts who didn’t hide. At all.

Kouga went to great lengths to avoid _those_ people. So did Hayate. And that had become much easier as the Academy started filling up the last two weeks. Before that, there’d only been some three hundred students. Now, there were near a thousand.

She’d discovered from observing them, that these students had passed the Entrance Exams when the Academy had just begun holding them, and then they’d returned home for the months it had continued. Very few of them had come from the Rukongai, but those who did, came from the ring of Districts directly surrounding Seireitei. Near enough that it was worth going the journey back, instead of staying at the Academy.

The overwhelming majority came from Seireitei though. And didn’t the fact most reapers apparently originated from this ivory tower explain so much?

Though Kouga did her best not to think about that too deeply. The urge to burn the entire Seireitei to ash wasn’t very healthy to her continued survival. Instead, she watched the different groups enter the dojo, all thirty people always entering at the same time. All of them left at the same time as well, all holding a sword.

All of them were handling those swords with care, reverence in their every movement. Many people were showing theirs off, some simply smiled with pleasure, and others remained calm, or radiated smugness, or even simply left. But no matter how they reacted, no matter what they did after they left that dojo, _all_ handled their Zanpakuto with forms of awe.

Kouga kept silent as Obito and Rin chattered next to her, both of them full of nervous excitement. Hayate gave his occasional input, remarks a little more cutting than usual. In the same way her nerves were making Kouga more silent than usual as well. But mostly, Hayate was watching the surroundings the same way she was doing, tense and wary.

She carefully listened in on the conversations closest to her, after a few people who’d gotten their Zanpakuto joined some people who hadn’t, and told them what to expect. It took a while before that happened though, mostly because both Kouga and Hayate had refused to wait anywhere else than the outskirts of the masses, making sure no one was standing behind them. That firm declaration had made Obito and Rin share an exasperated glance. But they had stayed with them instead of moving closer, like the people those two regularly hang out with had done. Except Obito and Rin hadn’t done so out of common sense, like her and Hayate. No, those two simply wanted to stay with them. Because they thought they were all friends.

The fact that both Obito and Rin considered them all to be friends was... strange. Kouga would admit that they were allies, but friends?

 _No_.

Even stranger, whenever either Hayate or Kouga –mostly Hayate, before he’d given up anyway– told them they weren’t, those two simply gave them indulging smiles, and kept on deluding themselves that they didn’t mean it. Well, if they wanted to act like that, Kouga wasn’t going to stop them. Didn’t even think she could. Not until they got in a life threatening situation –and it was so oddly unnerving that that hadn’t happened yet–

Obito and Rin would learn. And Kouga firmly ignored the slight guilt that thought provoked. It wasn’t her fault they didn’t want to listen to the truth.

She continued focusing on the conversations around her instead. Through them, she learned they would first be given a speech by a reaper. It seemed to be an impressive one, because everyone who’d heard it refused to say what it was about, and also very pointedly refused to say who had given it. After that, another reaper would speak, and what he’d say was apparently less impressive than the speech, but also very strange and even amusing. Though none talked about the exact details of what would be said. Then they'd be given a Zanpakuto, the second reaper would say a few more words, and then they’d be send off.

It wouldn’t have raised Kouga’s tension beyond the expected, if not for the fact that of the last three groups to go inside that dojo –after all the people with even the barest control had gotten theirs– all eight people Kouga had pegged down as being from the outer Districts, had _run_ the moment the doors had opened. In a way she was very familiar with. Even _those_ people had done so.

That couldn’t be good. That couldn’t be good _at all_.

The only reason Kouga hadn’t run away herself, was because every time a group disappeared inside that dojo, _all_ of them always returned as well. She suspected it was the only reason Hayate hadn’t fled either. But both of them had tensed up further the first time they’d seen those three people flee, and that tension and fear had only grown when the same scene had repeated itself with the next two groups.

And of course, the only reason Obito and Rin had become tense as well, was _in reaction_ to _their_ wariness and fear. As in, they were tense because of Kouga’s and Hayate’s behavior, not because of the cause for it.

Those two had no sense of survival whatsoever.

And now, Kouga was about to find out what had caused that reaction herself. She took a calming breath and mentally braced herself.

Of the four of them, it was Rin and Kouga who would get their Zanpakuto first. So leaving a beaming Obito and a grimacing Hayate behind, Kouga, Rin and twenty-eight others were finally allowed into the dojo. Inside it were two reapers seated to the side.

And Kouga _froze_ , unable to move, ears ringing, surroundings falling away.

That...  _That_...

He wasn’t powerful, he _was_ power, was fire and destruction, an unstoppable force, _a_ **_living sun_ ** **.**

And Kouga was so petrified she couldn’t even blink.

She was barely aware of a weight landing on her shoulder, couldn’t look away from that impossible _power_ , didn’t even _think_ of running because it would be _pointless,_ she would _never_ be able to escape that **_living sun_ ** **.**

The only thing she could do was desperately hope _that_ **_living sun_** _wouldn’t notice her!_

The power tapped his cane on the floor.

“I am called Yamamoto Genryuusai, the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13. Sit.” The soft order _immediately_ made Kouga fall to her knees, trembles escaping her control, barely aware that a weight was put down her shoulder once more.

Kouga couldn’t look away from that _power_ . And the small, minute part of her still capable of rational thought whimpered the question of how she had been unable to _sense_ this because this was a _sun,_ blinding and blazing and _impossible,_ yet it was _real,_ it was _here,_ and _how had Kouga not sensed this?_

That whisper was drowned out by the mindless terror every other part of her was screaming with.

The power’s eyes, no more than barely opened slits, slowly gazed over his surroundings. The power’s eyes met her own. And Kouga stopped breathing.

When the power’s eyes moved away from hers, Kouga felt a soundless whimper escape, desperately trying to keep her renewed breathing as silent as possible, power pushed down further than she’d ever managed before and **_don’t notice her!_ **

The weight on her shoulder shifted, heat curling around her back, a warmth against her side. Kouga was forced to blink once, eyes beginning to tear up from how long she’d kept them open.

“You have entered this Academy in the hopes of becoming Shinigami. Not all of you will succeed.” The power’s voice was soft, almost a whisper. The words were barely processed by Kouga, conscious thought gone.

Every word was crystal clear, forever engraved into her mind.

“There will be many reasons for this. Some will not gain the control required, others will lack the necessary discipline. Some will have a weak mind, unable to learn all that must be known. Some will lose the will to even try. Yet all those reasons pale next to one simple truth.”

The power opened his eyes a fraction further and

they

 _burned_.

“A Shinigami cannot exist without their Zanpakuto.”

It was a statement of absolute certainty.

“ _Always_ treat it with respect.”

It was a command seared into her very _soul_.

“Today you will be gifted an Asauchi. You will carry this sword with you wherever you go. When you eat, train, sleep, no matter where you are, it will always be with you. Treat it with the awe and reverence it deserves, and there is a chance the Asauchi will accept you as it’s wielder. There is a chance it will bond with you. But if it does not, if the Asauchi refuses you... No matter how powerful or talented you might be, you will _never_ be a Shinigami.”

The power’s eyes still  _burned,_ an infinite abyss, a **_living sun!_**

“Asauchi are more than mere swords. They are beings with their own will. If they accept you, they will draw out your true potential, will teach you things about yourself you never knew. If they accept you, they will gift you all that they are, until there is no boundary left. Until they are as much a part of you as your hands, eyes, lungs, heart. Treat it with respect, and you will reach heights you never believed possible. Treat it with respect, and you will become more than you could have ever imagined.”

The power fell silent. His eyes opened a fraction more, full of that impossible _power!_

Kouga couldn’t breathe.

“But if you do not, if you treat it like a mere weapon, if you treat it without respect...  _You will fail_.”

The words were accompanied by the _barest_ flicker of that _power_ **.** And Kouga _whimpered_ , the sound so strangled it wasn’t a sound at all, breath forced from her lungs as her sixth sense went _white_.

And part of Kouga was aware someone was speaking, that words were being said.

She couldn’t understand them, her surroundings unimportant, meaningless, the only thing that mattered was that _power_ , that _living sun_. _Nothing_ could pull her focus away.

Nothing until another foreign power invaded her own.

Kouga’s eyes snapped to the side, met another reaper’s gaze, his power forcing it’s way into her own, her purely instinctive defenses useless. The reaper’s power was enormous and heavy and _nothing_ compared to _that living sun_.

Kouga was vaguely aware she kept trying to untangle her power from his, kept attempting to push her own power out of his reach, kept failing. Yet even looking at this reaper, even when instinctively trying to defend herself and not succeeding, she was still unable to think beyond _that living sun_ because it was _impossible_ yet it _wasn’t_ because it was _here_ and _it was a_ **_living sun!_ **

A very small part of her was aware that the weight around her back was now putting more pressure on her shoulder. Almost all of her wasn’t.

When the reaper pulled back his power, Kouga’s eyes were immediately forced back to that _living sun_ , surroundings falling away completely once more.

And then...  _something_ was placed across her knees.

The sensation of it, the utterly alien presence, was enough to make her eyes flicker down. And Kouga saw something her eyes interpreted as a sword – ** _always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – yet it _felt_ like...

Like...

Words could not describe what it felt like.

But even that wasn’t enough to hold her attention, the alien presence disappearing to the back of her mind, eyes forced back towards _that living sun_.

Yet the core that drove her every action, the deepest part of her, the thing that had ensured she had survived whatever life had thrown her way, grasped the Asauchi with a firm and careful grip, holding it close.

 **_Always_ ** _treat it with respect_.

She would do _whatever_ that power ordered her to do.

It was the only way she had even the slightest chance at surviving.

And throughout it all Kouga kept looking at _that living sun_ , couldn’t do anything else, time meaningless, surroundings unimportant. Until suddenly a person broke her line of sight, Kouga’s eyes snapping up, meeting worried brown ones, the buzzing around her gaining meaning for one brief moment.

“-ga-chan, we can leave. Did you hear-”

“Leave.” the power commanded.

Leave, she could _leave_ _-couldn’t_ could _never_ escape _that power_ \- she could **_leave_** **.**

Kouga twisted around, saw the open door and

she

 _ran_.

* * *

 

Hiding underneath a bush, foliage covering her completely, Kouga shivered violently once more. She didn’t know how long she’d been hiding here, didn’t care either, simply kept her energy pushed down as far as she could without completely blinding herself, only aware of her most immediate surroundings.

That _power_...

Kouga curled around the Asauchi a little more.

She never would’ve been able to even _dream_ power like that was _possible_ , didn’t understand how that... that _living sun_ hadn’t been ripped apart by his own energy. How could that power –that **_reaper_** – keep it all inside?

Because now that she was out of that power’s immediate range –no she wasn’t, **_nothing_ ** was, there was no escape from _a_ **_living sun_** – and conscious thought had finally returned, Kouga simply couldn’t understand how that reaper managed to _contain_ that _power_ because it should be _impossible_ except it _wasn’t_ because **_she hadn’t been able to sense that power!_ **

Kouga _flinched_ , took deep, silent breaths, _forcing_ herself to remain in control, the blind panic still lurking at the edges of her mind ruthlessly suppressed. Instead she _forced_ herself to work through this.

She had to.

So. To recap. Kouga... hadn’t – _hadn’t!_ – been able to sense that power. Not until she’d looked at him. Her active scanning had been useless – _she wasn’t able to sense that_ **_living sun_** –

No, that wasn’t true. The dojo itself had been shielded after all. Kouga was... near certain – _desperately hoped_ – that she would’ve been able to sense that living sun –a _living_ **_sun!_ ** – otherwise. At that distance, it should’ve been impossible not to –please, _please_ let her be able to–

Yet even then, Kouga wasn’t sure whether she would’ve grasped just how... _impossible_ that power was. Oh, she would’ve realized it was mind shatteringly _enormous,_ but she wasn’t sure she would’ve realized that _that_ **_reaper_ ** _was_ **_a living sun_** –

Because by all rights she should be able to sense that sheer _power_ no matter _where_ she was in Seireitei. Fuck, by all rights she should’ve been able to sense it the moment she’d started seeing Seireitei on the horizon, if not before then.

She hadn’t – _she hadn’t!_ – And the fact that she now knew that a power like _that_ was _living in Seireitei,_ in her _immediate proximity_ –

Kouga shivered brutally.

Part of her –a _large_ part of her– actually wanted to return to Inuzuri, just so there would be as much distance as was possible between her and that living sun – _a living_ **_sun!_** –

And yet another large part of her... didn’t. Because since she’d gotten here, Kouga had eaten what felt like more than she’d had managed in her entire lifetime combined. Because she’d been given safe shelter, a place where lethal fights were forbidden on punishment of banishment or death. Because she hadn’t gotten in a non-lethal fight even _once_.

Kouga didn’t want to give this up. Couldn’t, not unless the only alternative was death.

And while just the _idea_ of staying near _that living sun_ was almost literally heart attack inducing...

That power was a _potential_ threat, not an immediate one. Because the Captain-Commander hadn’t made _any_ aggressive moves. Not even when he’d released the barest – _barest!!!_ – fraction of power, Kouga able to look back on it now and realize it had only – _only!!!_ – been used to emphasize his command – _respect or_ **_fail_** –

And while the fact that he hadn’t acted aggressively was _almost_ meaningless...

It was _just_ enough to give Kouga the strength to stay.

And in a disturbing, twisted kind of way, it helped that this reaper was _a **living** _ **_sun_ ** **.**

It meant _nowhere_ was safe. It wouldn’t matter whether she ran or not.

So Kouga would stay.

As her decision solidified, Kouga let out a deep, soundless sigh, a weight both lifting and dropping down on her shoulders.

The idea of staying near that power – _that **living** _ **_sun_** – still made her _every_ hackle rise. Yet it also made her... loosen up slightly.

She wouldn’t be forced to give all this up.

But she so very, _very_ much did _not_ want to think about the fact that she would be remaining in the _immediate vicinity_ of _that **living**_ **_**s** un_**–

Kouga shifted so she sat a little more comfortably and looked down at the Asauchi held inside her hands, focusing on the way it felt, desperate to distract herself.

And the Asauchi offered a perfect distraction.

Kouga couldn’t call it a sword, no matter how much it looked like it. Because the way it _felt_...

That living sun had spoken about it as though it was alive – ** _always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – and Kouga would admit, that was an accurate description. Yet at the same time it wasn’t. It _really_ wasn’t. Because while Kouga could sense its presence in a way she’d only ever been able to sense people, it was also... utterly alien.

As evidenced by the fact that her eyes only interpreted it as a sword.

When Kouga saw people, she also immediately knew their level of power, the same with her other senses, even if she relied on sight the most. But touch, smell, hearing, even taste were all part of it as well. Her sixth sense, while also existing on it’s own, was intrinsically connected to them all.

Yet to her every other sense, even her sense of taste as she chanced a few careful licks, this was simply a sword.

It wasn’t.

The Asauchi was vibrant and twisting and _alive,_ yet at the same time it _wasn’t_ . There were no boundaries, no indescribable sense of self every person held, no separation between it and the world. It simply _was_.

And at the same time it was... clearly defined. It was less than a person, but it was also more, so much more. It felt as though it wasn’t a person right now –except it was– but was instead every person that had lived, was living or would someday live –yet it wasn’t– all at the same time. Yet somehow it was none of them as well, was purely _nothing_ –it was _everything_ – It wasn’t even alive –but it was– it simply _existed._ And yet it was doing more than that, so much more. It was alive and not, was everything and nothing all at once–

It was the most _powerful_ thing she’d _ever_ sensed. Was pure, unlimited potential. And at the same time, that very lack of limit was what made it... weak. Because it was _nothing_.

Except it wasn’t nothing, it was _everything_ , was the weakest thing possible, was more powerful than that _living sun_ yet it _wasn’t_ , it was _weak_ and pure power and–

Kouga was actually getting a headache, the paradox inside her hands impossible to classify, but her mind trying to anyway.

The perfect distraction.

Kouga hesitated. Then she send a sliver of her power towards the Asauchi’s presence, trying to get an even greater feel for it.

Her power was sucked in immediately. Kouga didn’t drop the Asauchi – ** _always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – but it was a close call, giving it a wary look instead, energy locked down tight. Yet while the Asauchi had absorbed her power without any change in how it felt, it wasn’t actively trying to draw it out.

Kouga gave the paradox inside her hands a long look, and pursed her lips, pure bafflement rising.

How exactly was she supposed to put a piece of _her soul_ in this? And how was the Asauchi supposed to accept her when it wasn’t even alive? Or, well, it was but it also wasn’t, it was both at the same time but also not and–

The point was, the Asauchi didn’t... seem to have feelings per se –it was feeling _every_ possible emotion and _nothing at all_ – Or maybe that wasn’t the right way to put it. Instead it would be more accurate to say it didn’t really have a will –yes it did, it was _every_ dream, desire, ideal, hope, fear and _none_ of them but it also _was_ and–

Kouga allowed herself to close her eyes briefly, her headache growing a little stronger. And then she grimaced.

Tendrils of Minato’s power had just entered her limited range. And the tendrils were searching.

Kouga wavered one single moment on whether to push down her own energy completely, Minato far away enough that she would be able to hide if she did. But, well, it was becoming dark, and she’d have to go back anyway. Better to get that over with as soon as possible. There was also the fact that the odds that Obito and Rin had send Minato after her were pretty high. And while they most certainly weren’t friends, Kouga liked the two of them enough that she didn’t want them to worry needlessly.

And while she could easily wait for Minato to move on before going back...

She might, just this once, actually prefer his presence. Because Minato’s sheer power was always unnerving, made it impossible not to be on guard –it was _nothing_ compared to _that **living sun**_ –

And Kouga had no trouble admitting that she was still so terrified –that _reaper_ was _a **living sun**_ – that she would actually prefer a distraction like that. And it was a distraction. Because...

Because a very small part of her whispered that maybe, just _maybe,_ she held an _extremely_ small expectation that the blonde Shinigami wouldn’t hurt her.

So she crawled out from beneath the bush and flickered her own power against Minato’s searching one.

It took only a few moments for Minato’s presence to enter her range, a blur halting in front of her practically immediately afterwards. Thankfully not too close.

Kouga kept her expression blank as vivid blue eyes gave her an intensely worried look. And then Minato sighed deeply, closing his eyes and ruffling his hair. When he opened those worried blue orbs again, they were accompanied by a forced looking smile.

“...I suppose I should’ve warned you.” he said softly. And even though he didn’t owe her anything, Kouga still allowed herself a glare. Because a warning would’ve been _extremely_ helpful.

Except not really. No warning would’ve ever been sufficient to prepare herself for that impossible _power_ –a _living_ _sun!_ – But it still would’ve been nice to have one.

Minato’s smile turned rueful in response to her glare, eyes still worried, but also relaxing as well.

Extremely unnerving.

Kouga quickly blanked her expression once more, feeling the same wariness she always did in his presence. It was very distracting.

“I’m sorry. It’s just, it’s kind of tradition to let the students meet Yamamoto-Soutaichou without any warning. It enhances the experience even more.”

Kouga allowed herself an unimpressed look. You don’t say.

Minato gave an almost sheepish smile in return. And then he sighed, expression turning genuinely remorseful. It made Kouga instinctively uncomfortable, that expression on a reaper’s face so unbelievably bizarre to see. It didn’t matter that Minato had never showed any sign of aggression in the time she’d known him, he was still a reaper. No matter how... kind he sometimes was.

But most of the time he was annoying. Very annoying. Which was just as strange as him being kind, but it was also a _little_ less unnerving.

“I’m really sorry.” he told her honestly, showing true regret. Faced with such sincerity Kouga felt even more uncomfortable. So she shrugged. Yes, she would’ve liked a warning, but the past was the past. It didn’t matter anymore.

So _please_ stop showing those incredibly unnerving expressions.

Minato gave a small grin in return, blue eyes becoming bizarrely fond as they often did. Which was a little better than the previous regret, but not by much. Because the fact that the blonde Shinigami actually seemed to _like_ her was...

Kouga ruthlessly suppressed the urge to flee.

Well, she’d wanted a distraction. They didn’t come more distracting than this.

“I’m trying to think of anything else you should know, but nothing is coming to mind right now.” he told her seriously. Which was a nice gesture, making Kouga’s tension grow, the urge to flee rising even higher. And while she’d wanted a distraction, there was very good reason she normally did her best to avoid him. “But I can assure you that you won’t ever meet anyone as powerful as the Soutaicho, there’s that at least.” he continued. Kouga barely succeeded at suppressing a flinch.

She hadn’t even _thought_ there might be another _power_ like that, was still almost unable to believe that _living sun_ was real, let alone that there could be _more_. And didn’t that perfectly revealed just how rattled she was.

But now that she had thought of this, the reassurance that that living sun was one of a kind was _overwhelmingly_ welcome. When it came to information like that, Minato had proven to be honest.

And on the bright side, Kouga had now discovered the upper limit of a reaper’s power. There was that at least.

Which mattered absolutely nothing, even people with a fraction of that living sun’s power could squash her like a bug. Fuck, that living sun could squash _Minato_ as easily as he could her.

Minato gave her an expectant look, the way he always did when he hoped she’d say something out loud. When Kouga remained silent, he let out a soft chuckle and gave her another small grin.

“Come on, let’s get you back to the Academy. Your friends are really worried.” he gently scolded, making Kouga resist the urge to sigh. Minato was as bad as Obito and Rin at seeing the difference between allies and friends.

Also, she’d been right. Minato was here because of Obito and Rin. Or, well, in part at least. He’d said he would visit today after all. And seeing as he seemed to...  _like_ her, she supposed he could’ve gone after her even without Obito’s or Rin’s input.

Kouga didn’t like thinking about that though. It made it almost impossible to stay in control of the urge to flee, because it meant a _reaper_ was _actively searching_ for her _of his own free will_.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

So Kouga pushed that thought away, and started walking towards the glittering roofs sticking out against the horizon like a sore thumb, the setting sun making them pop out even more. Minato chuckled softly once more and fell into step with her. Kouga allowed herself a curious glance as his power spread outwards once more.

“Your friend Hayate ran away as well. Obito’s cousin went to look for him, but I don’t know if he found him yet. Doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out.” Minato answered her unspoken question. Which made sense, Hayate was a smart person after all. Of course he’d run the moment he could.

And of course Obito and Rin hadn’t. Because those two had no sense of survival whatsoever.

“So, what do you think of your Zanpakuto?” Minato asked. When Kouga kept silent, Minato gave her a mischievous smile that filled her with dread. “Have you figured out how to bond with it? I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with your Reiatsu. Partly at least, there are other factors involved as well.” he oh so casually said. Kouga suppressed a scowl.

The problem was that Minato had quickly figured out that Kouga was a curious person, and he always gave just enough information to make that curiosity rise.

So Kouga reluctantly gave in and asked.

“What other factors?”

Immediately Minato smiled, looking so very pleased with himself. Stupid Minato.

“Nope, not until you tell me what you’ve already figured out.” he happily countered, because of course it was the Shinigami who actually understood how things worked. Kouga resisted the urge to scowl and answered curtly.

“It’s a contradiction in every way and sucks in power when given, but doesn’t try to draw it out itself.”

Her reply made Minato hum pensively and give her a curious look.

“When you say contradiction...”

Kouga gave him another unimpressed look in return. Immediately Minato’s expression turned amused, a small smile growing once more.

“By giving it Reiatsu, you’re creating a bridge between your Reiryoku and the Asauchi. But that’s not enough to actually make it bond with you.” Then Minato fell silent with another expectant look. While still smiling bemusedly.

He was _very_ annoying.

“It’s both alive and not, weak and powerful at the same time.” Kouga explained shortly.

“Very good.” he said with a proud look, making Kouga resist a scowl. Minato acted like he was responsible for her abilities and it was _annoying_.

“As for the other factors...” he continued with an even more amused expression. “I guess the best way to put it is that it depends on how much of yourself you put into the blade. Not Reiatsu, but hopes and dreams, fears and desires. If you truly want to make your Zanpakuto your own, you have to open up, allow it to bond with you. You’ll learn how to do that in Meditation, but that’s the basic essence.”

That explanation was disturbing on so many levels.

“Open up?” Kouga couldn’t help but ask warily. Because that...

 _No_. Just no.

Minato gave her a long, intense look, amusement falling away, Kouga feeling so uncomfortable with his scrutiny, speeding up her walk a little more on instinct. The Shinigami followed effortlessly of course. Then he sighed softly, turning to face the horizon again, that serious expression still on his face.

“The thing about an Asauchi, is that they’re blank slates. What you said was right, they’re both alive and not. They have no own will. But they could. And that’s the secret behind bonding with them. When you pour your hopes and dreams into it, you’re also giving the Asauchi... I suppose the best way to describe it, is that you’re giving it a chance to potentially become truly alive. But that’s only the first step. To bond with it, you have to allow that potential being to reach for you. Not for who you think you are, but for the person that you actually are. The good and the bad, the things you’re proud of and the things you don’t want to acknowledge. Even the things you might not be aware of yourself. If you do that, and the being the Asauchi could be decides to accept you...” Minato’s expression became soft in a way Kouga had never seen before, a hand coming to lay one the hilt of his blade. He gave her a small, shining smile, illuminated from within. “That is when it becomes a true part of your soul, when you become two halves of the same whole.”

That entire explanation was utterly horrifying.

Kouga allowed herself to give the thing inside her hand a deeply disturbed look, grip on the Asauchi tightening – ** _always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – and asked the most pertinent question first.

“So what if it doesn’t accept you? Does that mean it’ll have stolen your hopes and dreams?” Not that Kouga could think of any beyond a general _stay alive, preferably in a place with lots of food and safe shelter_. But even though that was only thing she could think of, she very much did not want to lose it. Ever.

Her question made Minato laugh and give her another bizarrely fond look.

“No chibi-chan, it doesn’t _steal_ those things. Your hopes and dreams are your own. You’re simply sharing them with someone else.”

Simply sharing. As though it was just that easy. Still, it was a relief that the Asauchi wouldn’t steal that part of her. Time for pertinent question number two.

“And if it does accept you, if it... bonds with your soul.” Which, again, what the fuck? “Does it do that by stealing the part of your soul it becomes?”

Her question made Minato look even more amused, a grin aimed her way. Because he was annoying like that.

“No, it doesn’t. In fact, saying a Zanpakuto is a piece of a Shinigami’s soul... it’s true of course, but it doesn’t mean that you’re splitting your soul. A better way to describe it is that you’re turning your Zanpakuto into a part of yourself. It’s why every Shinigami, even the ones who never reach Shikai, become stronger after bonding with their Asauchi. You’re not dividing your soul. You’re adding to it.”

And Minato’s explanation managed to become even more horrifying. Because she was supposed to add a foreign power to _her soul_.

Kouga gave the Asauchi in her hand another quick glance, feeling so incredibly disturbed, warily watching the thing for any sign of it reaching for her power. And even though Kouga didn’t want to expose herself by asking the immediate question that arose from that information, she needed to know.

“Then how do you know it won’t turn against you?” How could you ever _trust_ a foreign power with _your soul?_ How could you allow it access like that?

“It won’t.” Minato stated with absolute certainty, no more information forthcoming.

So _very_ annoying. Kouga allowed herself another glare. Minato gave a crooked grin in return.

“See, that’s the thing chibi-chan. When you bond with your Zanpakuto, it’s no longer a blank slate. No longer a ‘contradiction’. Instead it becomes a part of you. And yes, it might be a part of yourself you don’t particularly like, but it’s still a part of you. It _can’t_ turn against you. To do so would literally mean turning against yourself. Don’t get me wrong, your Zanpakuto can and will disagree with you, but it won’t ever betray you. It can’t.”

What kind of crap answer was that? Of course people could turn against themselves. Kouga had seen countless people commit suicide in Inuzuri, and wasn’t that a betrayal in the most basic of ways? Or what about the people who had at first only wanted to survive and then began to take pleasure in killing, in causing pain. Who turned into the worst kind of monsters in practically no time at all. Wasn’t that turning against yourself?

The disbelief showed on her face, because Minato chuckled softly, making Kouga blank her expression again as she became aware it wasn’t.

“Let me put it this way. After bonding with your Zanpakuto, it becomes unable to exist without you. So tell me chibi-chan, would any part of you ever make you do something that would jeopardize your own survival?”

 _No_.

Kouga’s answer to that question arose without any conscious thought, an absolute surety. And even though she hadn’t said so out loud, Minato still gave her a satisfied smile in return.

“And there’s your answer.” he confidently stated. Kouga had to admit, he had a point.

Yet Kouga herself was the only person she trusted like that. And she knew not everyone did. So how did those people do it? How could they trust something foreign with their soul, their _life?_ How could they allow themselves to be so vulnerable?

But at least Minato’s explanation had given... she wouldn’t call it an assurance, but it had... Okay, no, it hadn’t. Kouga still wasn’t willing to bond with the Asauchi in the slightest, not until she learned more about what exactly a Zanpakuto was. And from more than one source of information as well, this was too important not to. If that meant she had to draw attention to herself by asking, so be it.

However, currently there were still other questions she wanted answers to. And Minato was right here.

“What if you fail to bond with it? Do you get send back to where you came from?” her question made Minato grimace briefly, something that was almost anger crossing his face, Kouga tensing up completely in response–

The Shinigami’s expression turned... tired.

Kouga resisted the urge to close her eyes. She knew it. Had known it ever since that living sun had said so to be honest. But she’d still wanted someone else to confirm it.

Minato just had.

“There are... variations in bonding. Some Shinigami– most Shinigami to be honest, are incapable of bonding completely. They can’t create a strong enough connection. They simply don’t have enough Reiryoku. But that doesn’t mean their Asauchi can’t partially bond with them. And it’s that partial bond which is a requirement to becoming a Shinigami.”

“But if you can’t even manage that, you’ll get send back.” Kouga stated softly, absolutely sure of this, but still needing to hear the confirmation out loud. Minato hesitated. And then he let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes briefly as a flash of something passed through them.

“Yes.”

So Kouga had the option of either giving a foreign power a direct link to her own, or to absorb that foreign power and merge it with her soul. Wonderful.

She honestly wasn’t sure which would be worse. One one hand, a partial bond would apparently give the Asauchi a direct link to her power, but not to her soul. On the other hand, that meant it could still turn against her, and that was something it _maybe_ wouldn’t be able to do if she bonded with it completely. Because Kouga had to admit, if the Asauchi really would merge with her soul without adding new aspects to it, only an increase in power, then the odds of the thing ever turning against her were absolute zero. Not when it’s own survival was also at stake.

A very small part of her actually liked that thought. Most of her didn’t, because she would still be adding a _foreign power_ to _her soul_.

She really needed more information before making a decision about this.

And yet, Kouga was near certain she would end up bonding with the Asauchi, partially or completely. As long as she could be absolutely sure she’d be able to keep it under her control anyway.

She would _not_ be send back to Inuzuri for anything less than her own survival.

Minato was watching her intently from the corner of his eyes but he didn’t say anything more, and for that Kouga was grateful. She wanted to mull on this information in peace.

So the both of them kept walking towards the Academy in silence. And it was almost comfortable. Except not really, because Minato was a Shinigami. But while Kouga was tense and wary as always, it wasn’t as mindlessly overpowering as she usually felt in the presence of a reaper. Minato had that effect on her.

And with that uncomfortable thought, Kouga refocused partly on the way the Asauchi felt. It really was alien, a pure paradox in every way. The strangest part, was how she had to be actively focusing on it to make it rush to the front of her mind. Otherwise, while it still felt alien, it wasn’t overpowering, was simply there at the back of her mind.

So Kouga kept her attention divided between the Asauchi and Minato as they kept walking towards the Academy. And she didn’t think about _that living_ –

Much anyway.

Kouga only stopped her partial focus on the Asauchi when she and Minato finally started nearing the Academy, the sun now almost completely gone. And she did so, because she’d picked up Obito’s and Rin’s presence.

And two reapers.

Kouga analyzed the reapers the moment those two came into view. It was Obito’s cousin and another one she hadn’t seen before. They didn’t seem to be hostile.

Kouga didn’t think she’d ever be able to get used to that.

“Look who I found!” Minato cheerfully called out as they neared, making all four people look towards them, Obito immediately halting his babbling to his cousin, while Rin’s jaw dropped open in astonishment. And then Rin started running.

She halted in front of Kouga, a hand reaching out towards her, making Kouga take a step back. Rin let out a strangled sound, such unbelievably worried eyes looking her over intently.

“Kouga-chan, are you alright?” she demanded, voice dripping with concern. Obito finished running over as well, halting next to her, the two reapers trailing more slowly behind him.

“I’m fine.” Kouga answered. She’d been right, those two had been worrying needlessly. But she hadn’t expect it to be this bad.

Her reply made Rin grimace, looking her over even more intently.

“I– What happ– never mind, just... Kouga-chan, are you sure you’re alright? You... you really scared me.”

“I’m fine.” she repeated. She wanted to reassure Rin, and Obito too, so she could leave as soon as possible. But instead, the brunette let out another strangled sound.

“Kouga-chan!” she exclaimed, and Kouga was astonished to see actual tears beginning to fill those brown eyes. She hadn’t had anyone cry for her since Mizure–

“...I’m really fine?” Kouga only realized how uncertain she’d sounded after she’d finished speaking, but she was just so completely caught off guard by Rin’s reaction.

“See Rin-chan, she’s fine, there’s no need–” Obito began but wasn’t allowed to finish.

“You weren’t there! You didn’t see– she was _frozen_ and she just– she didn’t even hear– I felt her shake the entire time and– _and_ –” Rin burst out crying, bringing up her hands to cover her face.

Kouga was at a complete and utter loss.

So she gave a wide eyed glance towards Obito, hoping he’d know how to deal with this. Unfortunately he didn’t, was simply flailing his hands around, looking unable to decide whether he should touch Rin or not. Then he _glared_ at Kouga and seriously? It wasn’t her fault Rin was reacting like this! She’d said she was fine, what more did Rin want?

“Well. This is dramatic.” the unknown reaper said, making Obito shift his glare towards him, opening his mouth–

Rin’s head snapped up, teeth bared in a way that made Kouga instinctively take another step back.

“I’ve been _freaking out_ ever since Kouga-chan _and_ Hayate ran, so _fuck you,_ I’m allowed to cry!”

Kouga could only stare in astonishment. That astonishment grew as the Shinigami brought up his hands defensively but _not_ aggressively, the reaper giving Rin an uncomfortable look.

“Wow, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just, you know, that this is a little dram– to outsiders! This seems dramatic to outsiders! That doesn’t mean you can’t cry!” the reaper actually sounded panicked as Rin bared her teeth even further. Which was just, what?

“ _Dramatic?_ This is a perfectly normal reaction you arrogant prick!”

Kouga’s jaw dropped. She quickly snapped it shut as Obito’s cousin glanced towards her with his usual unnervingly blank expression and tightly leashed power, Kouga quickly smoothing out her own expression in return.

“Of course it is! Just, well, if you look at it from an outside–”

“I would advise that you stop talking. I have a strong suspicion you are about to make things worse.” Obito’s cousin stated in an even voice, making the other reaper grimace. But he did fall silent.

Rin returned to sobbing into her hands.

Near silence fell. It was a very, _very_ uncomfortable near silence.

“...I’m going to leave now.” Kouga stated. Because she really didn’t want to stay here, and for once it wasn’t just because of the presence of reapers. Because Rin was _crying_. Even worse, she was crying _because of Kouga_.

But it was probably better to say so out loud instead of leaving like she usually did. She had a feeling that if she didn’t, Rin would worry even more, and by extension, _cry_ more.

Unfortunately, her statement had the opposite effect.

Rin immediately started sobbing even louder, lifting her head and giving Kouga an actually _heartbroken_ expression, tears trailing down her cheeks and _why was she acting like this_  Kouga was _fine_ so _stop crying!_

“Chibi-chan, that’s–” Minato began, but was quickly interrupted by Rin.

“You can’t just– I was so _worried_ and you... You...” Rin let out a wail, tears fell even faster.

“But she’s fine now! Right? Tell her you’re fine Kouga-chan!” Obito demanded, looking as lost as Kouga felt.

“I’m fine!” she repeated again, even raising her voice slightly, making Rin look back towards her, tears still falling down and Kouga wanted to leave _so much_.

So she did. She gathered some energy and quickly jumped up on the nearest roof, keeping them all within her sight. She saw Rin burst into renewed sobbing, while Obito scowled up towards her, before apparently making up his mind and carefully putting an arm around Rin. Rin buried her head on his shoulder. Obito’s cousin gave her an expressionless glance, Kouga unable to judge his intentions, that blank mask as unnerving as always. Next to him, the other reaper gave her an amused look, a small smile growing.

And then Minato turned to face her and _glared_.

 _Every_ part of her tensed up, panic clawing at her mind because was this it? The moment the Shinigami became an immediate threat, the moment he turned against her?

The blonde reaper grimaced and closed his eyes briefly. Then he pointedly turned towards Rin.

And Kouga _ran_ , shooting across the roof, surroundings blurring. The moment she got enough distance between them, she halted and pushed down her power to the point of near blinding. Then she ran between buildings without any added energy, climbing up a tree near the edge of campus.

She shivered once.

Minato hadn’t come after her, and Kouga was almost certain he wouldn’t either. The blonde Shinigami hadn’t made any aggressive moves aside from glaring but he could, oh, he _could_. So easily.

Minato was a strange reaper. But he was still a reaper.

And while Kouga had never forgotten that, couldn’t even if she’d wanted to, she’d... almost gotten used to his odd behavior.

But having a Shinigami of Minato’s power _glare_ at her...

Kouga shifted so the Asauchi was held more comfortably against her side – ** _always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – and made sure she kept her power pushed down just below blinding level, straining her every other sense to the fullest, making sure she wasn’t being followed.

She wasn’t.

But it took a long time before Kouga felt safe enough to make her way to her room.


	10. First Lessons

After she returned to her room, Kouga eventually sat down in front of the Asauchi, munching on a plum from the hidden stash of food she kept in the closet. She gave the moonlight illuminated thing an intense look, sending a little more power towards it.

Still couldn't sense it.

Kouga mentally took hold of more energy and used it to surround the Asauchi completely, trying to reach for it, packing it so densely around the thing, it actually gained a purple tint.

Still nothing.

Kouga pulled back her power. And reveled in being able to use it freely like this, taking another bite out of her plum in sheer delight. Then she returned to business, reached out a hand and touched the sheath.

 _Power_ , weak, a bare whisper _screaming_ , alive and not, everything and nothing and–

Kouga lifted her hand. The Asauchi's conflicting presence fell away. She took another large bite of her plum, savoring the juicy taste as she gave the thing an intense look.

The Asauchi was... interesting. Incredibly unnerving too, but also interesting. Because unless she was touching it, Kouga simply couldn't sense it. No matter how hard she tried. And the Asauchi didn't absorb her power either.

However...

Kouga touched the sheath again –unending _power_ and nothing at all– prepared herself mentally, and flickered the barest hint of her energy against the Asauchi.

It was sucked in immediately. But no more than the fraction she'd send towards it, and the Asauchi wasn't reaching for more. Yet the thing was, Kouga hadn't meant for her power to be absorbed, had simply wanted to brush against the Asauchi's presence –not a presence, wasn't alive, simply _was,_ except not and– but the thing had instantly absorbed her power anyway.

Kouga took hold of some more energy than she had before, but not that much, kept a tight hold on it, and started brushing a hint of it against the Asauchi. The Asauchi instantly started absorbing it– Kouga _snapped_ her power back.

Well, she tried to. The Asauchi had still managed to absorb practically all of the power she'd prepared to brush against it, not simply the small piece she'd actually send towards it. Kouga had only managed to keep hold of the barest fragment, no more than a single drop.

Time for the next test.

Gathering the same amount of energy, she shifted her grip so she was only touching the sheath of the Asauchi with one finger. She brushed her power against the Asauchi, the thing immediately absorbing– Kouga _snatched_ her finger back, the Asauchi's presence falling away...

And her power wasn't being absorbed anymore, over half of that specific portion remaining.

This was _very_ interesting. Also absolutely necessary to do, but even if, hypothetically speaking, she hadn't needed to do this, she still would've done so out of pure curiosity.

Next test.

Kouga gently placed her hand down the Asauchi again –alive and not, desires and wants and nothing at all– and send out a little power. None of it was aimed towards the Asauchi, aimlessly drifting through the air instead.

The Asauchi didn't absorb it.

Kouga carefully spread out power, widening her range, every presence in the vicinity turning crystal clear, more presences appearing, mostly students. But now Kouga also picked up the general directions of a few reapers who were actively using their powers a large distance away. She also felt eight presences in the dorm trying to reach for her power as they noticed it, three other presences hiding theirs in return...

And none of of it was being absorbed by the Asauchi.

Kouga pulled her power back, her range narrowing down to the usual. Then, still touching the Asauchi, she grabbed hold of another portion of energy, and moved it _around_ the Asauchi.

Still no absorption, not even when she increased the amount and her power accidentally brushed against that contradicting presence. Multiple times in fact, a consequence of surrounding the thing so closely with energy.

So Kouga pulled back most of her power. Then she deliberately grabbed hold of a small fragment of her remaining energy, and brushed a hint of it against the Asauchi. That entire fragment was sucked in immediately. The rest of her energy still surrounding it wasn't.

Kouga pulled back her power and lifted her hand from the Asauchi, the conflicting presence falling away. She put the pit of the plum in her mouth, sucking on the small pieces of pulp still stuck to it.

This entire experiment had revealed some very pertinent and interesting facts. The first, was that not only couldn't she sense the thing without touching it, but unless she touched it, the Asauchi didn't absorb her power either. No matter if she send it towards it or not.

The second, was that if she was touching it, the Asauchi still didn't absorb her power unless she specifically directed it towards it. But that included not just power send towards it with the intention of being absorbed, but also power simply meant to brush against it. The moment her energy was deliberately sent towards it, no matter the reason, the Asauchi absorbed it.

And finally, if she did send power towards it, the Asauchi absorbed _all_ the power that was meant for it, not stopping until it had. Or more accurately, it tried to. But it did it so efficiently, it was near impossible to stop it from happening. Unless she stopped touching it.

Alright then. Kouga could work with this.

She picked up the Asauchi, moved towards the open window and spit the pit out. She moved towards her nest and sat down, Asauchi placed across her knees. Then she tracked the familiar presence that had just entered her range. She'd hoped Hayate would pick up her power use, because Kouga honestly had no idea how to find him otherwise. She was good at hiding, not that great at tracking.

Very soon, a wild eyed Hayate crouched on the edge of the window, Asauchi held in a death grip. Kouga nodded in perfect agreement. Because _that_ _ **living**_ –

Not going to think about it. _At all_.

Hayate dropped down into her room, shoulders hunched, immediately beginning to pace, twitchy and frantic. He hissed softly.

"How the _fuck_ – _How?_ " he said, animalistic fear coloring every word. It made a small flinch escape her, remembering that impossible _power_ , _that_ _ **living**_ –

Kouga focused on the Asauchi, on the pure paradox it presented.

"I'll take first." she told Hayate. It made his eyes snap towards her, still mindlessly panicked.

"Like that even fucking _matters!_ " he exclaimed, voice louder than she'd ever heard it be. Though still soft of course.

Kouga shrugged in return. Of course it didn't, _nothing_ did, not when it came to _that_ _ **living**_ –

She focused on the absolute absence of the Asauchi. Which should be impossible, because she was sensing it, it wasn't an absence. Except it was, a void filled with all that could be but wasn't there, except it was and–

"It doesn't for... the Captain-Commander." she said, almost spitting the word out. Because that _living sun_ was a _**reaper,**_ the _Captain-Commander_ and he was _a_ _ **living**_ – "But it does for the other people here." she continued, focusing on the way the Asauchi was both a piercing whisper and a soundless scream.

Hayate let out a noise that held some vague similarity to a broken laugh.

"Yeah, and those are _so_ important next to _the fucking_ _ **reaper**_ _who can destroy this entire place_ _**by thinking**_ –" Kouga _snapped_ her power against Hayate's, immediately making him jump backwards, crouching on the edge of the window once more, eyes now even more terrified, aimed towards her. It was an expression she hadn't seen since the first few weeks of their acquaintance. She gave him a hard look in return.

"Don't think about it. Ever." she told him firmly. Hayate stayed absolutely tense for another moment. And then he huffed, dropping back to the floor, one hand digging his nails into his leg, other still clutching his Asauchi.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, don't think about the total destruction, or that I can never outrun it, or that it's a fucking _reap_ – _Don't think about it_. Good plan."

Kouga thought so too.

"The Asauchi helps." she offered. In return, Hayate snorted, vaguely sounding like it was meant to be dry. He lifted his head and attempted to give her a sarcastic look, eyes much too terrified for it to succeed.

"It really doesn't. Not when that fucking _reaper_ – It _really_ doesn't." he shot back. And while Kouga understood the sentiment – _respect or_ _ **fail**_ – she did disagree.

"Focus on the way it feels." she elaborated. Hayate grimaced, looking pained, eyes unwillingly flickering towards his Asauchi for one brief moment.

"I'd _really_ rather not." he bit back. Well, it was just a suggestion.

Kouga tilted her head towards the futon opposite of her. Hayate stayed standing there a moment longer. Then he groaned and moved towards the futon. He pulled off the outer layers of his uniforms, his socks and sandals, and his bandana. Then laid down on the squishy thing, Asauchi still held in a firm grip. He pulled a blanket over himself, and closed his eyes.

Kouga herself widened her range a little further, then partly focused on the Asauchi again as well, determined not to think about _that_ _ **living**_ –

She focused on her surroundings and the Asauchi.

After a few moments, Hayate sighed softly and opened his eyes. Kouga turned her own towards him.

"Can you knock me unconscious?" he asked, so very exhausted. It made Kouga's compassion rise. He was even worse off than her, if he couldn't even force himself to fall asleep with someone keeping watch.

So she placed the Asauchi on the floor and walked over. Hayate sat up as well, still grimacing and eyes too frantic, stretched to the breaking point. When she halted in front of him, he closed his eyes.

Kouga carefully channeled some power through her arm. Then she _struck,_ too fast for him to instinctively dodge, punching him _hard,_ right on his temple.

Hayate dropped like a stone.

His grip on his Asauchi was still just as firm.

Kouga shifted his blanket so he'd be both warm and wouldn't get tangled in it if he had to run, and went back to her nest. She placed the Asauchi back across her knees, and once more split her attention between that alien presence and her surroundings.

She was so glad Hayate had decided to return. Se honestly hadn't been sure he would, it had been a very close call for herself. And while she would've missed him if he'd decided to leave, she would've missed their alliance a lot more. For one, without him, she knew she would've never been able to sleep this night. But with him taking second watch, she'd get a small amount of rest at least. Which was very good, because she needed to be on the top of her game.

Tomorrow, classes would officially start.

* * *

The next morning, a loud bell woke Kouga. Though it took a moment to place the sound, and by then she'd already dived out of the window, Asauchi in hand – _ **always**_ _treat it with respect_ – Conscious thought kicked into gear the moment she landed.

Right. Obito had told her a bell would sound every morning to wake the students. And it would ring again to let them know when classes were about to start. Guess she should go eat.

She looked up towards the window and saw Hayate lean out of it slightly. But he wasn't making any moves to join her. Kouga gave him a questioning look. Hayate smirked slightly, and today it almost looked real.

"Clothes." he told her dryly.

Right. She wasn't wearing a gi, or a hakama. Or socks and sandals.

She turned around completely, gathered power, and jumped back into the room.

One of the best things about eating so much every day –aside from _eating so much every day_ – was that it allowed Kouga to use her power with unprecedented frivolity.

And it was _glorious_.

Kouga put on her uniform, before quickly brushing her hair as well for good measure.

There.

She turned to jump back out the window, but Hayate let out a soft noise, making her halt and turn her vision towards him. He was leaning against the wall, already fully clothed of course, and as her eyes met his, he tapped the hilt of his Asauchi. Which was tied around his waist, next to Hayate's perpetual pouch of candy. Kouga tilted her head. Well, she'd have to go to his room to get a rope, but–

Wait, no. She had ropes as well. She'd just stashed them underneath her nest, to make sure they couldn't be used against her.

So Kouga unearthed a rope, tied it around the sheath of the Asauchi, and slung it onto her back. Because if she tied it around her waist, it would not only be in her way, but would drag along the ground – _ **always**_ _treat it with respect_ –

After that, she jumped back out the window, Hayate following this time. Both of them sped towards the mess hall. When they reached the entrance, both of them slowed down and entered at an unenhanced pace. Fortunately, there were only a handful of other people present, though she knew that would soon change.

They got in line to get breakfast, the _first_ meal of the day. After they had, they walked over to one of the corners of the room, Hayate carefully keeping Kouga between himself and the people who were stronger than him. He was still incredibly twitchy from yesterday. Not surprising, not after that _living_ –

And of course, there was also the fact that today they would have their first classes.

They would be forced to interact with reapers.

Kouga was twitchy as well, tenser than she'd been since the first weeks she'd been here. But not nearly as much as Hayate. Being powerful was comforting like that, even if she kept her level hidden. To anyone who didn't have the gift of passive scanning anyway. Though by now, she suspected this gift wasn't just rare like she'd thought before coming here, but _very_ rare. In fact, she'd only counted fourteen people who _might_ have it, and that conclusion was only based on very vague, circumstantial evidence. By which she meant their behavior, not just towards her, but towards others. On the other hand, there were also people she _knew_ didn't have that gift. If they had, _those_ people wouldn't act like they did.

Both she and Hayate sat down a corner table, diagonally from a window, Hayate nearest to it. They dug in, keeping the entire room in sight.

Pretty soon the cafeteria started filling up, chatter rising as more and more people arrived. All with their Asauchi slung on their back, or tied around their waist.

Kouga and Hayate carefully did not look towards _those_ people as they started arriving as well.

Kouga also noted almost every person was carrying a bag of some kind, some big, some small. And she realized she'd still forgotten something this morning. So had Hayate. Which was the small sack they'd been given to carry the scrolls and charcoal you could get in a seemingly unlimited supply from the center building here.

Kouga did her best to avoid that particular building as much as possible. It housed the reception, supply room, and the infirmary. It was also where most Shinigami concentrated. The place where there were _always_ reapers.

Luckily, neither Obito or Rin minded when she asked for more supplies.

Well, they hadn't until yesterday.

Kouga suppressed the irrational urge to fidget as she sensed Rin approaching, the particular sensation of her clouds and hidden thunder presence familiar by now. It wasn't as though Kouga had done anything wrong.

Yet for some reason, she had the sneaking suspicion Rin wouldn't see it that way.

She was right. The moment Rin caught sight of her, she scowled, body language hostile, turning from ally into immediate threat. Though Kouga was absolutely confident she could take her if it came to that.

"Huh. What happened?" Hayate asked as he quickly started devouring the rest of his meal, even abandoning chopsticks in his haste. He kept giving Rin a wary look as the brunette moved towards the line to get breakfast.

"Yesterday Rin started crying when I returned. It only got worse after I left." she explained, before quickly finishing her meal as well, just in case.

Hayate gave her a confused glance, keeping Rin within his peripheral sight.

"Why did she cry?" he asked, and quickly licked his plate clean.

"Apparently she was worried about me." she answered, never looking away from a still scowling Rin. But she still saw Hayate's completely bewildered look from the corner of her vision. Kouga agreed with the sentiment completely.

She quickly licked her own plate clean, channeling a fraction of energy to boost her speed, for once not trying to do it discreetly.

Both of them tensed up further as Rin walked over, Kouga picking up the Asauchi she'd placed next to her chair. Rin halted at their table and put down her plate, before planting her hands on her hips. Then she closed her eyes, taking deep, calming breaths. Finally, she let out a soft sigh, opening her eyes, scowl gone, looking tired instead. But her body language was still much too hostile for comfort.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" she asked in a deliberately calm voice. Kouga gave her an uncertain look, grasping the Asauchi tightly, energy coiled tight. And very resolutely ignoring _those_ two people, who were looking on with _interest._

No?

When she kept quiet, feeling even more uncomfortable than yesterday, Rin closed her eyes with a pained grimace, her unfocused power actually flaring briefly. It made Kouga tense up even further, while Hayate shifted his balance, leaning towards the window slightly, ready to run. And also very determinedly ignoring _those_ two people.

"The least you could do, is say 'I'm sorry I worried you Rin'." she said in that same deliberately calm voice.

"...I'm sorry I worried you Rin." Kouga repeated dutifully, hoping to diffuse the situation. Instead it made Rin close her eyes with another pained grimace and tilt her head towards the ceiling, completely fed up. She lowered her eyes back down and dropped into the chair opposite of Kouga, still looking pained and exasperated.

"You just– That isn't– urgh." she exclaimed, the last a noise of pure disgust, closing her eyes with a grimace once more.

Kouga kept her eyes on Rin, shifting her hold on the Asauchi so she'd be able to smash the brunette's nose in if she attacked. Though given the rules in this place, that shouldn't happen. Probably. Maybe.

Kouga remained prepared just in case.

"At least tell me why you left." Rin said as she opened her eyes, voice carefully calm once more, and crossing her arms. Kouga felt a little reassured by the gesture, it indicated Rin wasn't planning an immediate attack. But she remained ready to defend herself.

One of _those_ two lost interest as well, thank fuck.

"Because I wanted to." she answered, a little confused why Rin apparently needed this pointed out.

Rin dropped her head down her hands, Kouga taking the opportunity to fully glance towards a newly arrived Obito. Who was frowning at Kouga. Wonderful.

He started moving towards them without getting breakfast, and halted next to Rin.

"Kouga-chan, what happ–"

"This is all your fault Uchiha!" Rin snapped as she lifted her head to glare at Obito, making him look towards her with a completely bewildered expression.

The fact that Rin's hostility had been turned towards Obito was _excellent_.

"Wha– how is this my fault? Kouga-chan was the one who–"

"And if you hadn't introduced us, none of this would've happened because I wouldn't have befriended a complete _lunatic!_ " Immediately after saying so Rin grimaced deeply and dropped her head back down her hands.

Again with the friend delusion.

"Hey, she's not a lunatic! She's just... she's Kouga-chan." And the moment he said it, Obito sighed deeply and closed his own eyes, shoulders slumping.

Kouga was very glad he didn't seem to be hostile anymore. She was even more happy _that_ person's interest faded as well, the woman now looking towards a group of newly arrived rich nobles.

Rin groaned, long and drawn out.

"I know. I'm sorry Kouga-chan, I never should've said that. You're not a lunatic, and that was incredibly wrong of me to say. Not to mention incredibly mean and petty. But just..." Rin lifted her head and gave her an exhausted look, Kouga relaxing a little more as Rin's hostile body language disappeared completely. "I was really hurt when you left like that." she continued softly. Which was just so unfair, Kouga hadn't done _anything_ wrong, yet she _still_ felt an irrational pang of guilt. Seriously, she wasn't responsible for the way Rin felt!

And yet...

"I'm... sorry you were hurt." she awkwardly said. Because even though she wasn't responsible for the way Rin felt, she did understand that Rin's hurt had been caused by Kouga's own actions. No matter how irrational that was.

Kouga didn't like hurting people.

Rin huffed, a small smile growing, brown eyes becoming warm. Kouga loosened her grip on the Asauchi, so happy the immediate danger had passed. From the corner of her vision she noted Hayate mostly relaxed as well, even as he continued to give both Obito and Rin a wary look.

"Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for freaking you out with my crying as well." Rin told her, smile growing wider. Which, what? Why was she apologizing? Yes, Kouga hadn't liked it, but if Rin wanted to act like that, she wasn't going to stop her. She just wasn't going to stay either.

But Rin's reply made Obito let out a deep sigh of relief, giving them all a warm smile. And then he grinned playfully.

"You know, I'm pretty sure it would be best to explain why exactly you were hurt by her behavior. I don't think she quite got that part." Obito aimed towards Rin, the teasing tone clearly meant for Kouga, his eyes never moving away from hers. Rin hummed pensively in return, her smile growing, amusement rising.

"I think you're right. But you should go get breakfast first, we don't have that much time until the warning bell."

"Yes Taicho." Obito told her seriously while bowing. And grinning. He placed his bag next to the table, turned around and walked over to join the line of people getting breakfast.

Kouga herself finally placed the Asauchi back against her chair, happy they were still allies. Next to her Hayate cleared his throat softly, apparently deeming it safe enough to speak.

"Speaking of classes, can you tell me where I'm supposed to go again?" he asked as he pulled the sheet with his schedule out from somewhere inside his uniform. Where on earth had he been keeping that?

His question made Rin give him a stern look. Not aggressive, but still uncomfortable to see so soon after the previous tension. It almost made Hayate lean towards the window again, before he quickly caught himself.

"Don't think you're getting off that easy Hayate, you were even worse than Kouga-chan. You didn't even return at all." she told him firmly.

"...And that's wrong because..." Hayate drawled, expression deliberately unimpressed to hide his own awkwardness. It made Rin sigh and briefly raise her eyes briefly towards the ceiling. But the gesture was accompanied by another small, amused smile, eyes so very warm as they turned back towards them.

It was very uncomfortable.

"Okay, it's like this. When people are worried about you, they appreciate it if you actually take the time to stop by and reassure them. And by reassuring, I mean more than just saying you're fine." Rin said with a warning look towards Kouga. "You have to–"

Kouga listened attentively as Rin explained the reasoning behind her reactions from yesterday. Apparently, Kouga had been supposed to give both empty platitudes, and some more detailed explanation of what had happened, instead of just bluntly stating the truth.

To be honest, she still wouldn't have changed her own behavior. Aside from giving a little more explanation. Probably not the empty platitudes though. And she still would've left the moment she could.

Still, this was valuable information. All these social rules kept tripping her up. Kouga hadn't realized just how feral she'd become until she'd been confronted with "normal" society again. And having someone explain all these small things was very convenient.

Kouga was glad Obito and Rin were still allies. They really were incredibly useful.

* * *

The first real class Kouga had, along with twenty-nine others, was Zanjutsu.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Yuugao, just Yuugao, and I'll be your instructor for Zanjutsu!" The purple haired Shinigami bowed towards them with a bright smile, her Zanpakuto slung across her back, a wooden sword held in hand. Kouga copied the movement as she saw the others doing the same.

The reaper straightened, her smile growing even brighter.

"Alright then! Now, today you won't be learning any techniques, because all of you aren't ready for that." the Shinigami's cheerful statement made some of the students bristle and grumble, but the reaper flaring her power sharply made everyone fall quiet, most wincing. Kouga herself twitched slightly. On purpose.

The Shinigami's sunny smile never disappeared.

"Instead," she continued without faltering "I'll be testing your natural instincts. Why you may ask? Because Zanjutsu, like Hakuda, is intensely personal. Yes, you will be taught formal stances, but even within the same style, there are many different ways to fight. And of course, you'll soon be split up into groups of people with similar approaches to fighting, that way we can not only teach you different forms but also different styles! After all, some fight aggressively, some defensively, some focus on speed, others on precision, there are just so many possibilities! And the best part is that there is no best style! Your skill with a sword, or with anything really, will depend entirely on your adaptability! A style that could give you an advantage in one situation, can easily prove to be a disadvantage in other circumstances. But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, take one of the bokken there and line up against the wall. Chop chop!"

At the reaper's command, all of them moved towards the wall to pick up one of the wooden swords placed there, soft murmurs filling the air.

"What do you think of Yuugao-sensei?" Rin asked softly. Kouga shrugged in response. She'd only just met the Shinigami, she'd reserve final judgement until she had a firmer grasp on the reaper's character. Until then, she'd keep on guard as though the reaper was the worst possible kind there was.

Rin rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Why do I even ask?" she said. Kouga often wondered the same herself. You'd think that by now, Rin would be used to her habit of keeping quiet.

Both of them picked up a wooden sword. And even though she'd expected this, Kouga still felt completely fed up with her own body. The damn thing was absurdly big in her hands.

But then, the Asauchi was as well.

Kouga ignored the chuckles from the two students beside her. Rin didn't, glaring towards them, opening her mouth–

"Great!" the reaper exclaimed, still smiling cheerfully. "Now then, you there, with the brown hair, get over here." she ordered, pointing towards a young man.

"...Me?" the guy returned, looking awkward with all the attention turned towards him. Kouga understood.

"Yes you. Place your bag and Zanpakuto on the floor and move it. Front and center." the Shinigami shot back. The brunette hesitated another brief moment, before squaring his shoulders, placing his bag and Asauchi against the wall, and making his way towards the Shinigami. The reaper nodded decisively in return. "Okay, this is what's going to happen. I'll attack you and you'll defend yourself with your bokken. Ready?"

"Ehrm."

"Go!" And with that, the reaper shot forward. Without using any power Kouga noted. In return, the guy squeaked in surprise, barely managing to get his bokken up in time. But he managed.

The next moments were spend with the Shinigami attacking, and the guy defending to the apparent best of his abilities. The brunette even tried to attack as well, but the reaper effortlessly blocked every strike with a small grin, never halting her smooth movements. She never used power either.

Eventually, the Shinigami disarmed him with a quick strike, after which she gave the guy another bright smile.

"Okay then! What's your name? Just your first will do."

The guy huffed as he rubbed his wrist, bokken laying at his feet.

"Shun." he answered in an annoyed voice. The Shinigami put her own bokken underneath her arm and put one hand down her shirt, pulling out a small notebook with something black sticking out of the cover. It turned out to be a piece of charcoal.

"Well Shun, pick up your bokken and get back in line. Have a seat, get comfortable. Shoo." the reaper told him as she opened the notebook and started scribbling, while Shun stared at her in astonishment.

"But–"

"I said shoo." the reaper repeated with another flare of power. Kouga made herself twitch slightly once more, while others wince. The Shinigami never halted her writing. Shun scowled and stomped back, grumbling under his breath, other students starting to whisper to each other again as well.

"What was that all about?" Rin mumbled, giving Kouga an uncertain look. Kouga shrugged again in return. She was pretty sure the reaper was simply testing their natural reactions to a fight, as she had said she'd do. But who knows, maybe there was another reason the Shinigami was doing this. One she hadn't shared.

Rin rolled her eyes with a smile once more, and repeated the question to the girl standing on her other side, starting a conversation with that girl, and the guy next to her as well. Kouga kept watching the reaper.

"Okay!" the reaper eventually exclaimed as she snapped the notebook shut, putting it and the charcoal back away in her uniform. Somehow.

Kouga wondered whether Shinigami uniforms held inside pockets. The Academy uniforms certainly didn't. But then, Hayate had kept that sheet of paper inside his own uniform as well. She still wondered how he'd managed not to lose it.

"Next!" the Shinigami ordered with another bright smile. No one moved.

The reaper rolled her eyes and pointed to the person standing next to a scowling Shun.

"That means you blacky. Put down your Zanpakuto and move it."

Kouga tilted her head slightly to better observe the frail woman, saw her wince and hunch in on herself even more. The reaper's bright smile never wavered.

"Come on blacky, I haven't got all day and neither do you."

The woman hesitated a moment longer, before placing her Asauchi on the floor and shuffling forward, halting in front of the Shinigami, a whiteknuckled grip on the handle of her bokken, eyes too wide. The reaper gave a grin with too many teeth, Kouga instinctively tensing even more in response. And making the frail woman tense up further as well, her eyes becoming even more terrified.

"Ready? Go!" Once more the Shinigami shot forward, the frail woman's eyes somehow widening even further. Then she dodged to the side, the strike missing. She dodged the next strike as well. And the next. And the next.

Kouga watched with interest as the woman used short, precise bursts of power to boost her speed, using her relatively small reserves to the fullest, while also taking complete advantage of her natural agility. In return, the reaper steadily increased her own speed, this time using power as well, the frail woman looking more and more panicked with each strike that came closer to hitting her. Until finally, the woman brought up her bokken, blocking a strike– and _struck,_ palm flat, nails aimed towards the reaper's jugular. The reaper jumped backwards to avoid the strike with a too wide grin.

Immediately the woman started racing towards the open door, the Shinigami shooting forward as well, blocking her way, hitting the woman in the stomach. _Hard_.

The woman fell to her knees and looked up towards the reaper with mindlessly terrified eyes, scrambling backwards. In return, the Shinigami casually put her bokken underneath her arm once more, pulled out her notebook again and snapped it open. It made the woman look confused for one brief moment, before lucidity visibly returned. She flinched violently, hunching in on herself, hands coming up to hold her stomach.

"That's it! What's your name blacky?" the Shinigami asked as she started writing.

The woman hesitated, giving a nervous glance towards Kouga and the others.

"...Shizune." she almost whispered.

"Well Shizune, have a seat. As for the rest of you, try to use your bokken instead of your body. Or, well, you know what I mean. This is Zanjutsu after all, not Hakuda." the Shinigami said, never halting her scribbling.

One of the students scoffed loudly, crossing his arms and glaring towards the reaper defiantly.

"How's this Zanjutsu? You're just attacking us! I thought you were supposed to be a _teacher_." he said scatingly, challenging the reaper. And really? _Challenging_ a _reaper?_ What was he, an idiot?

"My dear moronic student, that's _exactly_ what I'm doing. Also, Shizune, take a seat, you don't have to keep sitting there you know." the Shinigami said, never halting her writing as the man began to almost literally steam.

"I– _moron-_ you _bit_ –" The reaper _moved_ , appearing next to the student, grabbing his uniform with one hand and slamming him down the floor. _Hard_.

Kouga had to admit, if she ignored her own terror, it was pretty funny to see the shocked reactions of the other students, many of them even crying out, including Rin. Though Shizune at least showed a healthy reaction, power gathered in her legs as Kouga had done as well, ready to run in an instant.

She was very glad the Shinigami hadn't closed the doors of the dojo.

The reaper flared her own power high, making most wince or gasp for breath, Kouga twitching a little more violent than before. Complete silence fell.

The reaper planted a foot on the downed man's chest as he tried to get up. Firmly, if his grunt of pain was anything to go by, making him glare up towards her. But he showed at least some sense of survival by keeping quiet. The reaper simply kept writing.

Eventually the Shinigami snapped her notebook shut and gave the man a sunny smile.

"Rule number one. You insult me, I hurt you. Since I realize I hadn't told you this before, I'll let you off easy this one time. Oh! And rule number two is, do what I tell you to do, or I hurt you as well. That's it, no other rules. Those aren't difficult to remember, now are they? Of course they're not."

The reaper's cheerful statement made Shizune flinch and run towards the wall, dropping to the floor, grasping her Asauchi firmly. The Shinigami gave her a bemused glance as she lifted her feet from the downed man. Then she walked towards the center of the room once more, before turning towards them, showing another grin with too many teeth.

"As for teaching? Sure, I could teach you a few moves before testing, but that would only be worse in the long run. And I've already told you why as well! So, to see if anyone has been paying attention, why exactly would this be worse?" She gave them an expectant look. No one answered.

The answer was obvious of course, but there was no way Kouga was going to attract attention by speaking up.

"Anyone?" the reaper demanded with another sharp flare of power, most students wincing once more, while Kouga made herself twitch again.

"...It's so you can see which style would best suit us instead of forcing us to suit a style." The whisper was loud in the silence, drawing all eyes towards Shizune, who hunched in on herself a little more, power pushed down so far Kouga could only sense her passively.

"Exactly!" the Shinigami exclaimed with another bright smile, drawing the full attention of the other students again. "Or to spell it for those of you who still haven't gotten it, Shun over there not only defended but also attacke– well, tried to attack me. Shizune on the other hand, dodged until she couldn't anymore, after which she combined Zanjutsu and Hakuda to create an opening to run. I'd say that's a drastically different approach to fighting, wouldn't you? Though again, try to focus on using your bokken if you can help it. Makes my job a little easier. And now that that's out of the way, next!"

For a moment nobody moved, almost all students staring at the Shinigami in bewildered astonishment. The reaper's bright smile never wavered.

"I said. _Next._ "

The sharp eyed man next to Shizune hesitantly placed his bag and Asauchi against the wall and moved forward, halting in front of the reaper. Then he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, giving the Shinigami a fierce look as he brought up his bokken. The reaper's smile turned into a small grin.

"Ready? Go!"

That was apparently the format this lesson would take. Kouga watched with interest as the Shinigami kept calling people to the front and kept disarming them. But only after giving them opportunities to retaliate, her speed and force adjusted for each person. The other students had quickly started talking to each other, the reaper ignoring it, and only forbidding them from sitting down until after they'd faced her. Rin continued her conversation with the two people next to her, after attempting to engage Kouga in conversation once more and failing.

Honestly, Rin should be paying more attention, this was incredibly informative. Kouga was already getting a rough idea of these people's fighting ability. And she had to say, most sucked. Not because they couldn't control their power, but because their techniques just plain sucked, though some more than others. In fact, aside from Shizune, she hadn't seen anyone who was actually good.

That was _fantastic_ news.

Yet out of all the students here, Kouga noted only two others were watching every fight with their full focus. Those two were Shizune, and the man the reaper had slammed to the ground. And of the two of them, only Shizune was actually paying attention to the other students as they fought. The man on the other hand, was focused on the reaper, glaring at her the entire time.

He really was an idiot.

Eventually, it was Kouga's turn. She placed the Asauchi on the floor, tightened her grip on her wooden sword, and ignored both the two students chuckling softly and Rin's soft encouragement. Moving forward, she firmly told herself to focus on using the bokken, _not_ her body. Halting in front of the brightly smiling Shinigami, she held up the wooden sword, feeling awkward and clumsy.

"Ready? Go!"

The reaper shot forward.

Kouga reacted.

Dropping the stick, gathering power, she ducked and _hit_ , the reaper aborting her strike, own stick coming up to defend her stomach, Kouga's fist connecting– wood splintered, Kouga jumping backwards the moment her hit connected, power boosting her almost to the edge of the room. She landed. And mentally cursed herself as conscious thought returned.

She'd been afraid this would happen.

Kouga warily looked towards the reaper as she gave the remains of the handle in her hand a surprised, and then an intrigued look. She turned her head towards Kouga. And _grinned_ , showing _way_ too many teeth, _every_ hair on the back of Kouga's neck shooting up.

"Well what do you know. Seems like big things do come in small sizes." she said softly. In return, Kouga tensed up even further, not liking the reaper's happy tone _at all_. The Shinigami's grin somehow managed to become even more terrifying in response. Then she blurred towards the students, back in her original position before they finished crying out.

The reaper was now holding four bokken. She dropped three on the ground, casually spun the fourth in a lazy circle and moved forward, kicking up Kouga's abandoned wooden sword and catching it with her free hand.

"Let's try that again, shall we? And try to remember to use your bokken this time." she said as she threw the wooden sword towards Kouga. Kouga caught it without taking her eyes off the Shinigami. Then she took a deep breath and _focused,_ commanding herself to keep a hold of herself. And to use the bokken. She took a few steps forward, moving towards the center of the room, bringing the wooden sword up in front of her protectively. In return, the Shinigami shifted her footing, holding her bokken with both hands in a clearly telegraphed forward strike. Kouga's suspicion rose to an all time high. Was this a bluff? Or a double bluff? Would she trike at the front or the side, or maybe–

"Ready? Go!" The Shinigami shot forward, a frontal assault, Kouga blocking, the Shinigami spinning to the side, striking down–

Kouga dropped the stick and dove to the side, shooting forward again before the reaper finished turning towards her, gathering power in her legs. She _kicked_ , almost connecting– the reaper _blurred_ , dodging the strike, stick swinging towards Kouga, Kouga _barely_ managing to dodge, lashing out with another kick. The reaper dodged once more, Kouga immediately striking out with her fist, the reaper twisting out of the way and _not watching Kouga_.

Kouga gathered every ounce of power, aimed for the reaper's knee and _punched_.

She missed, the reaper blurring out of the way, her exact location disappearing as Kouga overextended herself. Her hit struck the floor, planks shattering, dust and splinters flying up, blinding her and _where was the reaper?_

Kouga jumped backwards, creating distance, power spreading out, frantically searching– _the reaper's presence was_ _ **behind her!**_

Kouga _pushed_.

 _All_ her power flooded the room, Kouga feeling the presence behind her falter even as she shot forward again. She twisted mid-air, feeling the reaper's power push back against her own, eyes snapping towards that presence, meeting the reaper's wide ones and the reaper was _**grinning**_ and Kouga had to run _run_ _ **run!**_

Kouga _ran_. Out the door, over the grass, running _running_ –

The reaper appeared in front, Kouga immediately punching, the reaper blocking with – _joygleelaughter_ - _ **her** __**sword!**_

Kouga went low, clawing at the ground with one hand, _kicked_ , the reaper dodging, Kouga quickly following up with a punch, the reaper blocking with her sword, Kouga throwing dirt towards her face, the reaper closing her eyes–

Kouga _lunged_ , aiming for the wrist of the hand holding that sword and _bit_ , ripping out flesh. The reaper screamed, sword falling to the ground, Kouga planting both feet on the reaper's body and pushing herself away, the reaper flying in one direction, Kouga the opposite way. She scrambled upright as soon as she landed, running _running_ –

The reaper appeared in front of her and _punched_.

Kouga hit the ground, ears ringing, forcing herself to ignore it, kicking out blindly, missing, meeting the reaper's eyes–

"Enough!"

The flare of power made Kouga roll across the ground – _keep moving!_ – scrambling upright–

"I said _enough!_ _**Training**_ is _over!_ "

Training?

With a snap, conscious thought returned. Training, _classes_ , right. Kouga stopped herself from running, warily pulling her power back instead, keeping it coiled tight, ready to run at any sign of aggression. But instead the Shinigami laughed loudly, ignoring the blood sluggishly dripping down her wrist, the flow slowing as the reaper channeled power into the wound, her other hand sheathing her Zanpakuto onto her back again.

"That was _great!_ Fantastic job! Your only mistake was running away, you should've taken advantage of the openings you created! _Especially_ after you bit me." she exclaimed with a much too wide grin.

Apparently this reaper was one of _those_ people. Wonderful.

Kouga kept watching the Shinigami, tension even higher than before, desperately reminding herself that the rules were different, that this was a "teacher" and that reapers were _not_ allowed to kill students. So instead of running, she brought up a hand to assess the damage to her cheek. Aside from tenderness and slight swelling it was fine, though she knew the swelling was going to grow a lot worse soon. She was going to have a spectacular bruise today.

Kouga lowered her hand, gathered saliva and swirled it around her mouth, getting the blood and small pieces of flesh still inside her mouth. She spit it all out. Then she started the process of getting loose the few remaining pieces of flesh stuck between teeth.

The Shinigami chuckled loudly and gave her another _much_ too toothy grin. It succeeded in making Kouga tense up even more.

"Everything alright Yuugao?" The shout made Kouga briefly flicker more of her vision towards the other reaper approaching them with a curious look on the visible parts of his face, before shifting her eyes mostly back towards the purple haired reaper, keeping the other Shinigami within her sight as well.

"I'm fine, just got caught off guard." the Shinigami called back, never looking away from Kouga, still grinning _much_ too widely.

"I'll say, that– the hell? She's just a kid!" The reaper's incredulous statement as he halted next to the purple haired Shinigami and looked towards Kouga, made her laugh loudly again. Kouga felt her own eyes narrow slightly before she could help it, annoyance rising alongside her tension. The age thing was getting really old.

"I know! Isn't it great? The Eleventh is so calling dibs on this one." the Shinigami's happy statement made Kouga shift her balance, tension managing to rise even further. Calling dibs? She did _not_ like the sound of that, not one bit.

Kouga got the final pieces of flesh loose and spit those out as well, swirling around some more saliva to try to get rid off the taste as best she could.

"Hey, you can't just– she _bit_ it off. Why– no, never mind." The dark haired reaper let out a deep sigh, eyes obscured by strange looking sunglasses. He grabbed the other Shinigami's wounded wrist and inspected it critically. Already it wasn't bleeding anymore, thanks to the reaper's continued channeling of power.

"You should go to the Fourth and get this fixed." his stern command made the other reaper roll her eyes and snatch her hand back, giving the dark haired Shinigami an exasperated look.

"Don't be such a wuss, it'll be gone in a week or two."

"So you're just going to walk arou– of course you are, why do I even ask?"

"I always wonder the same thing myself. And shouldn't you be teaching right now?"

"Little hard to do when all my students dropped to the floor the moment the kid released her Reiatsu. Every class felt _that_ happening, shielding or not." the reaper stated in a dry voice, expression now blank and eyes frustratingly hidden by those sunglasses. But his face was turned towards the purple haired reaper, not towards Kouga anymore, there was that at least. Though again, with those sunglasses, that didn't really mean anything.

Kouga spit once more, the worst of the taste now almost gone. Almost.

The moment she could, she was going to eat something. The lingering taste of flesh made her want to gag. Instead, she brought up her sleeve to wipe away the blood on her face.

"Like I said, the Eleventh has dibs." the purple haired Shinigami repeated firmly, making Kouga's hackles rise even further. She made a mental note to find out as soon as possible how _exactly_ students joined Divisions. She _needed_ to know.

"It's the first day, you can't call dibs yet." the dark haired reaper shot back firmly. What did he mean by _yet?_ Did that mean they'd be able to later? How? What were the factors? The conditions?

Kouga was liking this less and less the more she heard about it.

"Sure we can." the purple haired Shinigami confidently stated.

"Maybe she doesn't want to join the Eleventh." the other reaper retorted. So Kouga did have a choice?

"Of course she does. Hey kid! Want to join the Eleventh?" the purple haired reaper asked as she turned her head back towards Kouga with a cheerful smile.

"No." Kouga answered curtly, making the dark haired Shinigami snort loudly, while the purple haired reaper pouted.

"Aww, come on kid, don't be such a spoilsport. The Eleventh is great! The greatest in fact, it's–"

"Lay off Yuugao, let her finish her first year at least before you start recruiting. Besides, everyone knows the Eight is the best Division." the dark haired reaper interrupted.

"Oh please, you guys are just lazy bums who party all the time." the purple haired Shinigami shot back.

"Exactly." the dark haired Shinigami said with a satisfied smirk. The other reaper rolled her eyes with a grin and pulled out her notebook once more, flipping it open and beginning to write.

"What's your name kid?" she asked. Kouga resisted the urge to grimace, carefully keeping her expression blank and answering without any hesitation.

"Kouga."

The reaper hummed absently in return and spun on her heel, starting to walk back towards the dojo's. All five of which were open, people crowding the doorways.

"Well Kouga, let's go, I still need to test some others before class is over." the reaper shot towards her, never looking up or halting her walk. Kouga started following, keeping a healthy distance, curving around the other reaper. That Shinigami sighed deeply and fell into step as Kouga passed by him, Kouga keeping him within her peripheral vision. He gave her a small frown.

"You missed a spot." he said as he tapped his own chin. Kouga brought up her sleeve to firmly wipe at her own chin again. The Shinigami nodded once. "Much better. It looked really creepy with the blood stuck to it." he told her dryly.

"It looked awesome!" the purple haired reaper cheerfully called back, making the dark haired Shinigami sigh deeply once more, a sound full of resignation. He turned his face towards Kouga again, frowning slightly. And then he snorted softly, shaking his head.

"Let me guess. Outer District?"

Kouga suppressed a scowl. Even her way of _fighting_ was enough to identify that about her?

...It was her running. Had to be, that Shizune woman had done the same thing, and Kouga was certain she was from an outer District as well. Or maybe it had been her biting? Kouga had to admit that the other students –except for Shizune, no matter that she'd mostly dodged– had all fought with less ferocity. As though it hadn't been a fight to the death.

Which it hadn't been. It _hadn't_ been.

But Kouga hadn't been able to behave as though it wasn't. Because she'd been attacked by a fucking _reaper_. How else was she supposed to react?

Kouga resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was apparently supposed to react as though it was training. That was going to take a _lot_ of effort. In fact, Kouga... honestly wasn't sure whether she'd ever be capable of that.

Not against a reaper.

At her continued silence, the dark haired Shinigami let out another sigh. But he didn't try to strike up conversation again, there was that at least.

When the three of them finally neared the dojo's, all but two were closed once more, most of the people gone. The reaper next to her sped up slightly towards the only group of students still outside, many more than just Kouga's class.

"Alright people, show's over! Back to the dojo!" he called out.

"Yamashiro-sensei, what happened?" one person called out, giving Kouga a bewildered glance.

"Training happened. Now move it, time's wasting and I still have tests to run." the purple haired Shinigami answered as she snapped her notebook shut and put it away. She smiled brightly towards the group. "That goes for my students as well by the way. _Move it_." The slight flare of power accompanying the words immediately made the people from Kouga's class turn around and enter the dojo, Kouga entering last aside from the Shinigami.

"It wasn't anything important, just a student reacting a little strongly to–" the dark haired Shinigami's voice was cut off to an incomprehensible mumble as the purple haired reaper slid the door closed, in a way those thin paper walls shouldn't be able to do. But then, Kouga's awareness of the group still outside immediately blurred as well. Clearly that door wasn't simply made out of paper and wood.

But it wasn't as strong as yesterday, that particular dojo had been completely cut off from her senses. It wasn't that absolute this time, Kouga still having a vague sense of the presences within the adjoining dojo's. She was also still sensing the people outside, simply with less clarity than she was used to.

It was _incredibly_ disturbing.

Kouga came to stand beside Rin, picked up the Asauchi, slung it onto her back, and ignored the bewildered and, or unnerved looks she was getting. And Rin's worried look as well. She also ignored the chatter happening around her.

"–you see how–"

"–blood on her sleeve–"

"–sensei's _wrist_ –"

The reaper flared her power sharply as she halted in the center of the room, and the students fell silent, many wincing. Kouga made herself twitch slightly, before realizing that this was mostly useless now. Well, with these people at least.

The Shinigami smiled cheerfully once more as she kicked all but one of the abandoned bokken towards one of the walls. The last she kicked up and caught with her unwounded hand.

"Alright then. Next!"

No one moved, hesitant glances thrown around.

"Sensei, what happened?" one student dared to ask. The reaper rolled her eyes in return, smile never faltering.

"Like I said, training happened. With a surprisingly strong person, but still just training, nothing special. Now. Next!"

"Nothing spe– sensei, your wrist is _torn open!_ " The incredulous statement made the Shinigami laugh merrily and bring up her arm, glancing down at her no longer bleeding but still blood covered wrist in amusement.

"This? This is just a scratch, I've gotten worse injuries playing cards." She looked back towards them and gave that same bright smile from before. "Now, if I have to repeat myself again, I _will_ hurt the people I haven't tested yet. Do I need to repeat myself?"

Nine people immediately shot forward, including Rin, all of them halting briefly as they noticed the others had moved as well. But then a red haired guy quickly started moving again, stopping in front of the reaper. It made the Shinigami grin, though thankfully not with too many teeth.

"Very good! The rest of you can take a seat again, except the ones I haven't yet tested of course. Now then. Ready?"

The redhead tensed in return, a whiteknuckled grip on his sword, looking sensibly afraid.

"Go!"

As the Shinigami returned to her testing, Kouga and the others sat down once more, soft chatter rising. All of it still about Kouga.

Being the center of attention like this was _not fun_.

"Kouga-chan, what happened?" Rin asked softly, the people closest immediately falling silent at the question. Kouga resisted the urge to grimace. There was no way she was going to talk about this with so many people present. She didn't even want to talk to Rin about it to be honest. But she wanted a repeat of this morning's fiasco even less.

"I'll tell you later." she answered just as softly, watching as the reaper effortlessly blocked the surprisingly viciously attacking redhead. Well. Relatively vicious. She also noted the Shinigami didn't seem to be bothered by the switching of hands.

Kouga ignored the scowls and grumbles from the surrounding students, before they went back to talking about her. Rin gave her an uncertain and worried look, eyes briefly flickering first towards Kouga's cheek and to her bloodied sleeve. Then she sighed softly, turning her eyes towards the Shinigami and the teen as well.

"I'll hold you to that." she told Kouga firmly. Kouga inclined her head in acknowledgement.

This had been... a very informative first lesson. But she desperately hoped not all of them would go like this.

Because Kouga did _not_ like being the center of attention. _At all_.

 


	11. Strange Facts

“You  _ tore off _ her flesh with your  _ teeth. _ ” Rin repeated in an incredulous voice, still looking utterly stunned. Next to her Obito gaped like a fish. Kouga nodded once more as she continued devouring her huge meal, bowl lifted to her face as she shoveled rice inside her mouth with her chopsticks, ignoring the discomfort of her now fully swollen cheek. 

The fact that she wouldn’t spend the next day scrounging for food was a  _ priceless  _ gift. In Inuzuri, a use of power like that nearly always resulted her into being forced to eat... meat. Especially in combination with her power use of yesterday. 

She was so  _ unbelievably  _ happy she wouldn’t be forced to do that anymore.

“Nice.” Hayate said, giving her an impressed glance as he managed to pick up some soybeans with his chopsticks. Both of them had improved with leaps and bounds, now capable of eating without constantly dropping things.

“ _ Nice? _ ” Obito repeated in a high voice, while Rin brought up her hands to cover her face. Hayate smirked, giving them an amused look.

“Yeah, nice. I prefer to go for the eyes myself, but I can see why you didn’t do that.” he said with another glance towards Kouga. It was true, her height made that tactic mostly useless. “Really though, you managed to tear it off? That’s  _ impressive _ .” he continued, and Kouga felt a fleeting smile grow. Seeing as she’d often observed people biting shinigami without even managing to break skin, she was rather proud of that skill as well.

Morbid curiosity crossed Obito’s face, before he quickly snapped his eyes towards the sky, a stubborn look appearing instead.

“I am  _ not  _ going to ask.” he declared firmly. Kouga had no idea what he wasn’t going to ask, and she didn’t care either. Instead she picked up some mushrooms and savored their taste.

Obito stubbornly kept staring at the sky a moment longer. And then he let out a pained sigh, lowering his face, morbid curiosity shining from his eyes as again he looked towards her and Hayate.

“...Have you ever–” He abruptly fell silent, giving a nervous glance over his shoulder towards the other people spread out around the courtyard. But those were away far enough that they shouldn’t be able to overhear them, and no one seemed to be paying attention to them at least. Obito still lowered his voice to a near inaudible whisper. After she heard his question, Kouga understood why.

“Have you ever killed a Shinigami?”

Rin’s head shot up, jaw slack as she stared at Obito, completely stunned once more. Kouga was incredibly surprised as well. Obito was either very brave or very stupid for even daring to whisper that in the heart of reaper territory. Knowing what she did, Kouga guessed it was a combination of both.

“Of course not.” Hayate immediately snapped, eyes nervously darting around, power carefully spreading out and scanning his surroundings. Kouga was doing the same, but thankfully there still weren’t any reapers in the immediate vicinity, the best she could get in this place. She also didn’t sense any absences like she did with the dojo’s. Which, while not a guarantee that there was no shielding in the area, was still a little reassuring. A little. Kouga pulled back her power and picked up a few more mushrooms.

Delicious.

Hayate’s answer made both Obito and Rin slump down in relief. The brunette gave them a long, carefully deliberate blank look as he pulled his own power back. Then his eyes gained a mischievous glint, almost overshadowing the burning defiance they gleamed with as well.

“If I had, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Reapers do not take kindly to the killing of one of their own.” he continued in a near inaudible and perfectly matter of fact voice. 

It immediately made Rin bury her face into her hands again, while Obito closed his eyes, face twisting in a pained grimace. Kouga was amused. Hayate himself let out a satisfied smirk at their reaction.

One of the oddest things she’d learned, was that her and Hayate’s experiences with reapers? Were very emphatically  _ not  _ shared with those from the higher Districts. Which meant everything above a 50th. No, in the higher Districts, Shinigami were  _ respected _ .

But then, people in the higher Districts were allowed to cross the borders whenever they wanted.

Kouga carefully turned away from that thought, bringing up her cup and focusing on the sweet taste of water instead. Thinking about that would only make her currently dormant fury flare up.

“ _ Why _ do I  _ keep asking? _ ” Obito wailed softly, making Kouga’s amusement rise once more. It was funny how both Rin and Obito found so many of her and Hayate’s behavior as bewildering as they found theirs.

“Yes, why do you?” Rin’s despairing voice was muffled by her hands. Kouga smiled fleetingly again, sharing a bemused glance with Hayate.

It was incredibly strange to know that Kouga had once been the same as these two. She only recalled that fact intellectually of course, had no concrete memories left of that time. But she still knew with a bone deep certainty it was true. 

Yet Kouga honestly couldn’t even imagine ever acting like those two did. 

“I just, I didn’t think I’d get an answer like  _ that _ .” Obito said without opening his eyes, still grimacing. Rin lifted her head and gave him a dirty look, seemingly uncaring that Obito couldn’t see it.

“Yes you did. That’s why you asked.” she accused, making Obito’s grimace grow even more pronounced in reluctant agreement. And it was true, Obito did have a high streak of morbid curiosity. He kept asking things he didn’t really want to hear the answer to.

“I actually tried to go for the– teacher’s eyes myself. Just in case you were curious.” Hayate said very softly with another smirk. Rin gave him a completely exasperated look in return, while Obito opened his eyes, morbid curiosity shining from them once more.

“When you say you went for the eyes, what exact–”

“Don’t you dare.” Rin snapped, making Obito slump down and give her a sheepish smile. To Kouga’s amusement, Hayate answered the question anyway.

“Tried to gouge his eye out. It’s one of the few weak spots a– person has.” he stated matter of factly, doing the smart thing by not mentioning reapers specifically.

Hayate was having so much fun with this, grinning slightly as Obito let out another pained sigh and Rin closed her eyes, looking completely fed up. Kouga felt another fleeting smile grow.

It really was amazing how much she had relaxed in some ways, no matter that she was surrounded by reapers. Not getting in any kind of fight would do that to you she supposed. Though she had to admit, it was becoming harder to force herself to fall asleep, watch or not. Insidious tension was climbing higher with every peaceful day that passed. She kept expecting things to take a turn for the worse. Maybe the brief fight she’d had with the Shinigami would fix that. 

Then again, maybe not.

“The neck is another weak spot.” she helpfully informed both Obito and Rin. In part because of her good mood, and in part because, well, they really needed to know this.

Kouga honestly had no idea how these two had survived until now.

Her statement made Obito and Rin turn towards her with the exact same look of exasperation, and just a touch of despair. This was fun.

“Yeah, but you need a sharpened nails or another kind of weapon to really make it count, a mere hit will barely slow them down. Now ripping an eye out on the other hand...” Hayate drawled, completely truthful and playing along as well. Kouga nodded in agreement and picked up some onions. Meanwhile, Obito gave Hayate a highly disturbed look.

“You actually rippe–”

“Uchiha, I swear, if you don’t shut up  _ right now, _ I  _ will  _ hit you. Spirits, I’m trying to eat!” Rin exclaimed, making Kouga give her a curious look. She’d gotten used to Rin taking her sweet time in finishing a meal, but what did eating have to do with anything?

“What does it matter that you’re eating?” Hayate asked, obviously missing the same thing she was. It made Obito and Rin share a look Kouga observed frequently. The one that meant  _ how does this person not know this?  _ The only other type of look those two shared more often was the one that meant  _ how can this person act like this about something like that? _

Hayate and Kouga often shared similar looks themselves. Though theirs went more along the lines of  _ how is it possible that these people are so completely insane? _

“Most people don’t like to hear about grievous bodily harm when eating. They start imagining it happening, which makes them feel nauseous, which destroys their appetite. So it’s impolite to talk about it during mealtimes. Well, other times it isn’t really polite either, but it’s especially rude when someone is eating.” Obito answered in a wryly amused voice, giving them a gentle grin. This time Kouga and Hayate were the ones who shared a look. Because the way people treated food here was  _ insane _ . Imagine, not eating because you feel nauseous!

“Duly noted.” Hayate shot back dryly, before picking up the last piece of his meal and chewing contently. It made Obito sigh deeply with a grin, while Rin seemed unable to stop a reluctantly amused smile from appearing.

“Since that’s cleared up, how about we talk about something else?” Obito continued as he lifted his bowl of noodles and began slurping them down.

“ _ Yes _ .” Rin immediately and emphatically agreed, even as she slowly returned to her own meal as well. Hayate shrugged, not seeming to care one way or another. Kouga quickly finished licking her bowls clean, body angled so that both Obito and Rin concealed the movements from the other people present in the courtyard, and also using the barest flicker of energy to boost her speed. Then she started devouring the large cluster of grapes she’d brought along.

Silence fell.

Kouga idly watched the two women giving constant sideways glances towards a group of four loudly talking men, both the women’s eyes always settling on the same person. And after each glance, they spoke to each other and laughed, but not in a mean way. One of the two woman also kept blushing. Judging from the slight blush the object of their focus had as well, and the teasing grins the other three gave him while talking, all those men were well aware of this.

Kouga counted two ways in which the four of them could easily be ambushed, even when factoring in the twenty-nine other people present in the courtyard. For the two women, she counted four.

“So what’re your next classes again? Mine’s Zanjutsu.” Obito eventually asked after he finished his noodles.

“Kido.” Hayate answered, before quickly licking his plate clean, body angled so Obito mostly hid the movement from the others present. This was one instance where her small stature was an advantage. After that, he took out a candy for dessert, eyes growing lidded as he savored the taste. As always.

“Kido for me and Kouga-chan as well.” Rin said, giving Kouga a quick grin, still taking her sweet time with eating. “Bet you’re going to be great at that.”

Because of her power? Kouga actually didn’t think so, whenever she’d observed a reaper perform a spell, their energy had contorted in perplexing and impossible to reproduce ways. 

“I don’t know, Yamanaka-sensei made it clear control is actually a lot more important than pure Reiatsu.” Obito said pensively. And then he blinked and gave both her and Hayate a rueful grin. “Which, I guess, means both of you are going to be great at it.”

“True.” Rin said with a smile towards Hayate. And then she chuckled softly. “But you really should’ve been there Obito, it was... I mean, I felt Yuugao-sensei’s Reiatsu before that, but with Kouga-chan... I actually had to sit down, it was just so  _ heavy _ . Only Yuugao-sensei managed to keep standing, and even she stumbled at first.”

That had more to do with the fact that the reaper had been using her own energy to counter Kouga’s, not with any difference in power between Rin and the reaper. If Rin had done the same, she probably wouldn’t have fallen either. Well. Not completely anyway. The difference between students and teachers, while high, wasn’t truly extreme. Not like with Kouga.

Because in terms of pure power, Kouga stood head and shoulders above them all, teachers and students alike. She’d already been strong when she’d arrived of course, on the level of a lot of reapers. But by now, her power had increased  _ immensely _ . It had only stopped growing a few weeks ago, four she was pretty sure. Hayate’s power had grown incredibly as well, he was now firmly average, if still on the weaker side of it. As for Kouga, her physical height had shot through the roof as well, she’d actually gained an inch or two.

Apparently, living in a constant state of starvation had stunted her growth. Who knew.

But while Kouga felt confident that she could take down almost all students here –except the rich nobles, who were reapers in all but name– she knew that Shinigami were another matter entirely. They had way more control over their power than Kouga had, and that wasn’t even mentioning their magic.

Luckily, she was going to learn those things as well. And after that...

She wouldn’t be the strongest, not by a long shot, Minato’s own existence –and that  _ living _ – proved that. But she would be strong.

She had to be.

“Yeah, that was impressive too. One in my class stumbled as well, and we were the farthest away from your dojo. Though admittedly, that woman is one of the weakest here.” Hayate said still savoring his sweet. Kouga actually felt a little pride unfurl, the reaction completely irrational. It hadn’t been caused by skill, just raw power. And that was something she’d never had to work for.

“Really?” Obito said, giving her a surprised and intrigued look. As she stayed silent, he shook his head with a small grin, while Rin chuckled softly. “Anyway, what should I expect for Zanjutsu?” he aimed towards Rin.

“Well, Yuugao-sensei just filled the hours with one on one fights, and wrote down some things after each spar. No, I don’t know what she wrote.” she added as Obito opened his mouth. He clicked his teeth together with a completely besotted grin. “It was pretty boring actually. Aside from Kouga-chan’s fight.” she continued matter of factly.

“ _ Boring? _ You found it–  _ of course _ you did.” Hayate said, completely exasperated. Kouga understood.

Seriously, how had these two survived until now? There had to be  _ some  _ bad things happening in their Districts, yet both Obito and Rin seemed utterly  _ incapable  _ of even  _ recognizing  _ a dangerous situation.

Rin gave Hayate an amused smile in return.

“Yes, boring. Though Kouga-chan seemed fascinated the entire time.”

“That’s because unlike you two, she actually has a sense of survival.” Hayate shot back dryly, making Kouga smirk slightly.

“Hey!” Obito indignantly exclaimed, while Rin chuckled softly and aimed a teasing smile towards him.

“Oh dear, the paranoid man doesn’t think we’re suspicious enough. However shall we fix this?” she said with a playful glance towards Hayate.

“Maybe we should go hide in a closet and curl into a ball, that would make him approve of us.” Obito’s retort made Kouga snort softly and Hayate roll his eyes in exasperation.

See, this was what she meant. Those two couldn’t even jokingly come up with sensible behavior. Who would ever hide in a closet? You might as well scream  _ easy target right here! _

“So was it the same in your class?” Obito asked Hayate as Rin picked up a piece of fish.

“Yeah, except the– teacher kept up a running commentary the entire time. Very informative.” Hayate answered. Apparently he’d lucked out in his teacher. Insofar as you could get lucky with reapers at least.

Kouga finished the last of her grapes.

“What was Kido class like?” she asked Obito, curious as to what to expect. He shrugged in return.

“We didn’t do anything practical, just got the basics behind Reiryoku and Reiatsu. You’re going to want to take notes– erhm...” he trailed off with an awkward look. In response, Hayate groaned softly.

Kouga was  _ so glad _ she was in the same group as Rin.

“You can copy– I’ll copy my notes for you.” Rin immediately amended as she looked towards Hayate, because she was unnaturally nice like that. It made Hayate give her a grateful glance. 

Both Hayate and Kouga herself still sucked at reading, never mind writing. No matter that they’d been practicing almost every day. 

But there were just so many characters.

However, both she and Hayate had “Basic Education” classes in the evening, so hopefully that problem would soon be fixed. 

“Oh, quick question. Do you guys have any... You know those people who keep scaring the crap out of others? Do you have any of them in your class?” Obito asked. 

Kouga and Hayate  _ tensed _ .

“I don’t think so. Not that I’ve been paying them that much attention, but I’m pretty sure none of them are.” Rin answered, and how could she  _ not  _ be sure of this? It was the first thing Kouga had noticed. And had been  _ unbelievably  _ thankful for. “Why?” she continued.

“There’s three of them in my class and–”

“Do  _ not  _ pay  _ any  _ attention to them.” Hayate interrupted Obito fiercely, making both Obito and Rin look towards him in surprise.

“...That’s a little hard to do. I mean, those guys, and I say this with nothing but respect, are  _ weird _ . One of them kept giggling randomly during the class, it was very distracting. And the other two just ignored the teacher and kept fiddling with their Asauchi. Which was a little unnerving, I’ll admit. Makes it a little hard not to look at them.” Obito finished playfully with a small smirk. Hayate gave him an absolutely incredulous look. Kouga felt exactly the same.

No sense of survival  _ whatsoever _ .

“Don’t pay them  _ any  _ attention. Don’t look at them, don’t talk to them, or even talk about them. Act like they’re not there.” she ordered Obito with a hard look, desperately trying to convey the gravity of this, even if she didn’t really have any hope of succeeding. But they were allies, the very least she should do was warn him. And Rin as well.

Kouga liked them.

Both Obito and Rin gave her an even more surprised look, Rin’s brows shooting up while Obito’s furrowed in confusion. And didn’t that illustrate perfectly how utterly clueless those two were. They actually had to be told this. Even worse, they had to be told  _ a watered down version. _ Because Kouga just knew that if she told these two to do all those things while also keeping those people within sight at all times, they would fail spectacularly. 

And that would attract those people’s  _ interest _ .

“Why?” Obito asked, so unbelievably clueless.

“Because otherwise you might attract their attention.” Hayate said in another low and fierce voice, expression just as grave as Kouga’s. It made Obito and Rin share an uncertain glance, becoming a little tense  _ in reaction _ to her and Hayate’s tension.

“...Isn’t that a little extreme? I mean, yeah, they’re unnerving, I’ll admit to that. But they don’t interact that much with people. Aside from scaring the crap out of them, but that’s all they do. Ignoring them like that seems uncalled for really.” Obito said, starting hesitant but ending in a confident note, while Rin looked like she actually agreed with him.

Hayate and Kouga shared a glance that was nothing but pure despair. And incredulous disbelief. 

_ How  _ had these two survived until now?

“Which three are they by the way?” Rin asked Obito, both of them completely relaxed once more, Rin actually giving her and Hayate another bemused glance.

No, seriously. How?

“There’s Kushimaru, the really tall guy who covers his face with that scarf constantly. Then there’s the big orange haired guy who keeps giggling randomly. Which, I repeat, is very distracting. And finally, there’s the guy with the eye patch. Both their names were Jin– something.”

“Oh, I’ve seen those around. And isn’t... Kushimaru? Isn’t that the guy who keeps arguing with the one with, you know, the one with the pointy teeth?” Rin asked curiously, because of course she did.

“That’s the one.” Obito confirmed.

“Okay, tell me. Have any of those people ever given you a look which made  _ every  _ hair on the back of your neck stand up?” Hayate abruptly demanded, apparently determined to try to make these two see reason. Kouga couldn’t say she disapproved.

Obito immediately turned uncomfortable, shrugging awkwardly, while Rin became hesitant, and a little uncomfortable as well. Finally, a bare minimum of sense.

“...I wouldn’t say  _ every  _ hair, just, you know, maybe it was a little scary, or maybe uncomfortable is a better–”

Spoke too soon.

“The reason you felt like that, was because at least some part of you thankfully realized that they were looking at you, and deciding on how exactly they would kill you.” Hayate interrupted Obito’s completely absurd rationalizations. 

Obito gaped. So did Rin.

“...Kill? That’s... that’s an exaggeration. Right?” Obito asked, completely off balance and morbidly curious once more. 

And also  _ disbelieving _ .

“It’s  _ really  _ not.” Hayate emphasized harshly, Kouga nodding sharply in agreement.

Rin actually looked at them with  _ disapproval _ .

“I would’ve thought you two would be more open minded than that. You’re from an outer District too.” she said pointedly. Kouga allowed herself to close her eyes briefly.

“That’s why you’ve got to fucking  _ listen! _ ” Hayate exclaimed, voice raised slightly and looking so incredibly pained. It made another surprised look cross both Obito’s and Rin’s face, the two sharing an uncertain glance, tensing up once more. But only a little. “I  _ know  _ that kind of people, better than you two  _ ever  _ will! So when I say they want to kill you, I’m  _ not  _ exaggerating. If anything I’m fucking understating it!” Hayate continued in that same slightly raised voice.

“Under– how can you understate something like that?” Rin demanded, looking completely incredulous. And Kouga just couldn’t take their ignorance anymore.

“Because maybe they want to kill you by slowly peeling off your skin. Or by raping you to death. Or by cutting off a piece of you, letting you go while they chase you, and then cut off something else every time they catch up.” she bit out harshly. It made both Obito and Rin gape once more, Obito becoming white as snow, while Rin gained a green tint. Hayate gave her a grateful glance, glad for her support. 

“That’s sick.” Rin whispered, still looking nauseous and stunned. Good.

“Fuck yes it is! That’s why you’ve got to fucking  _ ignore  _ them!” Hayate exclaimed, looking so relieved those two had finally gotten it.

But then Obito got a stubborn look on his face, and really? He  _ still  _ didn’t get it?

“I don’t buy it. Yeah, they’re always scaring the crap out of people, and they do it on purpose. But that’s all they do. They’re not nice people, sure, but they aren’t bad.”

Hayate actually closed his eyes, face twisting in a deep grimace, while Kouga gave them a purely despairing look.

How was she supposed to warn them when they refused to listen to the truth?

“I have to agree with Obito on that one. You two are overreacting.” Rin’s determined statement made Hayate drop down his head in his hands, eyes still closed, that’s how high his despair was. Kouga herself let out a very soft strangled sound, literally unable to believe just how  _ naive  _ those two were.

“Just... please do me this huge favor and _ignore_ them.” Hayate begged as he lifted his head, apparently deciding it was useless to try to make them see reason. But he liked Obito and Rin, same as Kouga, which was why was actually begging. Well, that, and there was the fact that if even one of _those_ people got interested in Obito or Rin, it meant Kouga and Hayate wouldn’t be able to interact with them anymore. No way were they going to allow themselves to become targets by association.

Rin rolled her eyes in return, expression fond, while Obito gave them a small, wry grin.

“Okay. If it means that much to you, I will.” he said. Kouga let out a silent sigh of relief, Hayate doing the same audibly.

It wasn’t what she wanted, not by far. But it was something at least.

“Thank you.” she told him, making both Obito and Rin look towards her with surprise.

“Wow, this is really important to you, isn’t it?” Obito asked. Kouga gave him an unimpressed look in return.  _ That’s  _ what convinced him this was important?

“What about you?” Hayate aimed towards Rin with a hard look, making her roll her eyes with an amused smile, eyes still so very warm.

“Yes, I’ll do the same. No interacting with–”

“No, that’s not enough, are you going to  _ ignore  _ them?” Hayate interrupted.

Rin  _ chuckled _ .

“I promise I’ll ignore them.” she assured, sounding patronizing, fond, and truly honest all at once. Kouga didn’t care in the slightest about the patronizing as long as those two actually did ignore those people.

“See that you do.” Hayate told them, a clear warning that if the didn’t, they wouldn’t be allies any longer. And it made Obito and Rin share an exasperated and highly amused glance, of the second type. Because of course it did.

Kouga and Hayate themselves shared a glance as well, one full of both disbelief and resignation at this entire situation.

Completely insane. And so unbelievably naive.

But at least they had the assurance that Obito and Rin would ignore those people. Though of course, given that kind of people, there was still a very real possibility that they would fixate on those two anyway. At least Obito was the only one in their group of allies who shared a class with any of them. 

Rin returned to her meal, while Obito drank some juice. His eyes briefly flickered over Kouga’s form, before meeting her eyes.

“If you want to change your uniform, you’re going to have to be quick about it.” he told her, making Kouga give him a confused look. Why would she want to change?

Obito smirked and pointedly looked towards her sleeve. 

...The blood? Why– ridiculously high standards of hygiene. Right.

And seeing as she had  _ seven  _ sets of uniforms, which were  _ picked up _ to be cleaned  _ every week, _ she could certainly afford to go change. And if she was going to pass by her room, she should grab along her sack with a few scrolls and charcoal as well. Just in case.

Kouga nodded her assent and gave Hayate a questioning glance. He inclined his head, determined to stay near her and take full advantage of her protection. Not that he truly needed it, there hadn’t been  _ any  _ kind of physical fight on campus in all the time she’d been here.

And even knowing that this was both because it was “normal”, and because the punishment for those things was banishment –or death depending on the severity of the misbehavior– it was still so unbelievably strange. And incredibly unnerving as well to be honest, no matter how irrational that was.

“I’ll meet you at the classroom. Do you remember which one it is?” Rin asked, and Kouga nodded in return. It made Rin smile. “Good. Don’t worry, I’ll finish my entire meal.” she said, giving them both a gently teasing grin. Kouga rolled her eyes and Hayate let out a deep sigh, both of them sharing another look, in perfect agreement with each other.

Insane. Completely insane.

But at least both Rin and Obito always did finish their meal. Every bit of it. Unlike so many others.

“You know where you’re supposed to go as well?” Obito asked Hayate.

“Yeah I do. Besides, I can always follow the other people in my group.” he answered, sounding just a little annoyed. Obito gave him a teasing smirk in return.

“Hey, just checking. Don’t want you to get lost. Again.”

“At least I can remember what room I’m assigned to.” Hayate shot back, immediately making Obito blush, Rin chuckling next to him.

“That was one time! And I was drunk!” he exclaimed. 

Kouga felt mischievous, her previous tension finally fading away. Mostly at least.

“I thought it was twice.” she said with a sideways glance to Hayate. He smirked in return, eyes gleaming impishly.

“You’re right, it was. The second time he got kicked out of that room before he could put his uniform on.” he said casually.

“Actually, it was three times. I first met Obito when he got kicked out from the girls dorm after sleeping in one of the unassigned rooms.” Rin cheerfully informed them, making Kouga smile fleetingly and Hayate grin. Obito’s blush grew worse and he gave the brunette next to him a betrayed look.

“You said you wouldn’t talk about that!” he accused. Rin gave him a supremely innocent look in return, eyes twinkling like mad.

“Did I? Must’ve slipped my mind.”

“Rin-chan!”

Kouga smiled fleetingly again and stood, Hayate doing the same, both carrying their empty dishes. 

“See you in class Kouga-chan. And see you later Hayate.” Rin called out, Obito echoing the farewell. Kouga nodded in return, while Hayate let out a sound of acknowledgement. The both of them started walking towards the cafeteria to return the dishes. 

“No seriously Rin-chan, that was  _ not  _ cool.” Obito’s indignant voice sounding from behind her made Kouga smile fleetingly once more. 

It really was surprising how much she liked those two. No matter how insane they were.

And how unbelievably naive.

* * *

 

Kido class was, in one word,  _ fascinating _ .

The teacher was the same Shinigami who’d interviewed Kouga, and after a short introduction in which she learned his full name was apparently Morino Ibiki, he immediately flew into the lesson.

By pointing his hand towards a jar placed on his desk.

“Ye who arth damned. Blood melting, screams of the soundless night. Hado Number Three, Akaihi.” As the reaper calmly spoke, his power contorted in indescribable ways, hand gaining a faint glow. Then a small, bright red orb flew towards the jar.

It  _ exploded _ .

The Shinigami gave them all a hard look, expression carved from stone, making the students who’d cried out fall silent. 

No one spoke.

“Kido, is the art of manipulating your Reiatsu to create a range of diverse effects. There are 198 spells, 99 in the Way of Binding, and 99 in the Way of Destruction. Each requires an unique incantation to activate. But simply knowing the words is useless. It is not  _ words  _ which create a spell. It is Reiatsu. And every spell requires you to shape your Reiatsu in unique ways.  _ That  _ is the true secret behind mastering Kido. Control is far more important than raw strength. It does not matter how much power you have, only how you use it. And it this control I will teach you.” His voice was deep and steady, riveting from the moment he’d started speaking. When he fell silent to give them all another intense look, no one spoke.

The Shinigami’s lips twitched in an almost smile.

“However, before I will even consider practical lessons, I will teach, no, I will  _ stomp  _ the theory of how to do so into you. Kido is not like any other class you will have here, where lethal accidents are rare and easily avoided. If you make a mistake with Kido...” He lifted his hand once more, not aimed at anything in particular. “Hado Number Three, Akaihi.”

This time it was his hand which exploded. 

Kouga watched with wide eyes, students crying out once more, louder this time, dark smoke obscuring the unflinching reaper’s hand, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. When the smoke cleared, the reaper’s hand was burned all over, flesh melted in some places. The sight made students cry out again, a few gagging, many looking sick, pale and wide-eyed.

The Shinigami flared his power briefly, making the students fall silent again. He gave them all a hard look, burned hand still raised into the air. 

Kouga’s tension was at an all time high. As was her curiosity.

“If you make a mistake,  _ this  _ is what will happen if you are fortunate. Pray you  _ never  _ find out what will happen if luck isn’t on your side.”

The Shinigami fell silent once more. When still no one spoke, his eyes gained a pleased glint. He lifted his other hand to cover his wounded one, his power twisting briefly, a muted green glow coating his palm. When he put it over the burns, all but the worst of the melted flesh disappeared. 

Magical healing was  _ amazing _ .

Then the reaper walked towards his desk and picked a small pot out of a drawer, smearing a thick layer of light green cream on the remaining damage. He picked up a piece of chalk with the undamaged hand.

“Now then. Take out a scroll and charcoal. You’re going to want to take notes.”

Immediately those who had not yet done so, opened their bags to grab some. Or asked their neighbors if they had a spare. All but Kouga and four others. Kouga leaned forward slightly, nearly all her focus on the reaper. 

With another almost smile, the reaper launched into the theory of Reiryoku and Reiatsu.

And Kouga was  _ fascinated _ .

She’d already known the basics of course, having questioned Minato and Obito. And Rin as well, but the brunette knew almost nothing about it. 

Kouga knew Reiryoku was the term for her power, knew Reiatsu was the term for when you were actively manipulating that power outside of your body. Knew that the most basic uses for Reiryoku were boosting your physical abilities. For Reiatsu, it was either using it to physically press down on someone, or enhancing your sixth sense.

But those were only the most basic ways to use it. It didn’t require any finesse, barely any control. If you could consciously manipulate your Reiryoku, you could do those things as well. For Kido however, they would need to learn how to gather a  _ very  _ specific amount of energy for each spell. And while Kouga was near certain she would have no problem doing that, this was only the first step.

The Shinigami told them he refused to teach them anything more until they could do so. Only after that would they be taught to get a feel for the ebbs and current it always had. Kouga knew that it did of course, but she’d never thought to really focus on it, finding it far more important to keep her range as broad as possible. And, well, before coming here she hadn’t ever had any real opportunity to examine a spell up close. Even then, she’d only gotten a handful of opportunities to see one in action.

It was only after they would be able to gather specific amounts of energy at will, that they would learn to manipulate it in the specific ways needed for Kido.

Yet while all this was incredibly interesting, there was one small piece of information that had completely bewildered Kouga. And the reaper had simply mentioned it offhandedly. As though it wasn’t important.

Ibiki had spoken of Reishi. Spirit particles. And he’d said Reishi made up  _ everything  _ in this world. Water, food, earth, their very bodies.

_ Everything _ .

Kouga very carefully tucked that piece of information away, determined to stay focused on the lesson. She could think about the implications later.

So she did her best to decipher the diagrams the Shinigami drew on the blackboard, listening to his explanation about the flow of Reiryoku. She learned that every spiritual aware person had “vents” on their wrists, how people with power always “leaked” energy through them. Learned about the catastrophic effects closing off those vents would have.

Kouga’s eyes briefly went wide as the reaper explained that  _ this  _ was the reason spiritually aware people needed to eat. He said it was impossible to change this, the very act of having more Reiryoku than mere survival dictated ensured that people  _ needed  _ to constantly vent energy. If they didn’t, their  _ soul  _ would  _ self-destruct _ .

And it was because of that constant output of energy, that they needed to replenish their energy with food.

“But why? If we’re just venting extra Reiryoku, then why do we need to replenish it by eating? I mean, spiritually null people don’t need to, and they’ve got a lot less Reiryoku.” 

Kouga was fiercely glad a student asked this. She desperately wanted to know the answer.

And the reaper told them that while that base level of Reiryoku was sufficient to most, it  _ wasn’t  _ to those who naturally produced more. Their base requirement was always higher. Which meant they needed to constantly produce Reiryoku to reach that level. Because they were also constantly venting it away.

Yet while spiritually aware people naturally produced more Reiryoku, this was a process that required, well, fuel. Which meant food.

And the reason they needed outside additions was that, ironically enough, spiritually aware people were inherently more unstable than spiritually null people. Their souls –their  _ souls _ – were literally too strong for their bodies. This necessitated the venting of energy. Which in turn, meant that they had to absorb Reishi, to basically kick start their own natural production of Reiryoku. And they needed to absorb Reishi by eating.

And Kouga wondered. If  _ everything  _ was made of Reishi, then why had she never been able to sate her hunger by eating grass, or leaves, or even dirt? No matter how much she’d eaten, it had never sated her hunger in any way. Though it hadn’t made her sick either. Where there different kinds of Reishi? Like atoms? Were they the same things, just with different names? But then, why had she never gotten sick? Because her own body was made of Reishi? If so, then what did that mean for her biology?

Those were only a few of so many questions this class raised. Yet Kouga didn’t ask them out loud, didn’t want to attract attention. Especially not after the incident in Zanjutsu. But she swore she would find out those answers, no matter how long it took. Even if she would be forced to ask them in class.

Not now however. It was only the first day after all, and she’d be in this Academy for six years. She had time.

So she listened to the reaper’s explanation on the basics of Kido. The reason he’d told them of these vents, was because they were an absolute necessity to performing spells. Kido was the art of not only manipulating your Reiatsu, but manipulating it as you deliberately released it from those vents. The fact that this was a natural outlet, meant you could manipulate your Reiatsu to a much higher degree than simply pushing it outwards from your entire body. Every spell they would be taught, was fired from those vents.

But they would only be taught control for now, and not even immediately. First, they would be given more purely theoretical lessons, and only after that would they be taught control exercises.

Kouga had no problem with that whatsoever. Because the theory was just...

Incredibly fascinating.

* * *

 

After Kido class, Kouga left Rin behind, met up with Hayate, and the both of them comfortably installed themselves on one of the dojo’s, hidden behind a large decoration, both of them watching each other’s blind spots.

She’d been leisurely mulling over all the new things she’d learned in Kido, Hayate keeping silent as he carefully examined every inch of his unsheathed Asauchi. His power occasionally stirred slightly, sometimes absorbed by the Asauchi, sometimes not.

Kouga herself gave her wrist another intense look, trying to sense the venting she was apparently constantly doing. She’d been trying that for a while now.

Kouga knew she always leaked energy of course, it was one of the first things she’d realized about her power. Her presence always stretched out far beyond the confines of her body if she let it. It was why it was so important to be able to push it down. The more power you had, the easier you were to sense. Keeping it pushed down negated that. A lot. 

But even though she always kept her power pushed down unless actively using it, there was a limit to how far down it could go. Pushing it down completely not only blinded her, it required constant concentration. And if she did it for too long, such as longer than a day or two, she actually got sick, becoming nauseous, faint, and gaining a splitting headache. If she pushed herself through that, her body actually began breaking down, limbs growing weak, losing her sense of balance, and other fun things like that. Which, Kouga supposed, was because doing this for too long apparently destroyed  _ her soul _ .

But the fact remained she could do it for short periods. So did that mean she was blocking off the vents in her wrists? 

Yet Kouga never felt like she was blocking off specific parts. When she pushed down her power, she pushed down  _ all  _ her power. It was a sensation across her entire body, except not really. It wasn’t exactly a physical sensation, but at the same time, the pushing down still felt evenly spread across her entire body. Kind of. It was the closest she could put the feeling into words anyway.

So Kouga had decided to try to sense the vents on her wrists. At first, she hadn’t had much luck. Not until she’d started focusing not on her power itself, but on the indescribable boundaries that formed her own presence, as always extending slightly further than her physical body. Yet even then, it was only when she truly  _ concentrated, _ surroundings falling away, that she felt...  _ something _ .

She hadn’t done so for more than a few very brief moments though. The amount of focus it took was unnervingly blinding.

Kouga attempted to concentrate harder as she kept looking at her wrist, both passive and pure sixth sense aimed towards it. But not concentrating hard enough to lose touch with her surroundings.

Nothing.

She sighed softly and turned most of her vision towards the five people who had just entered the edge of the Kido ranges. They were too far away to make out their conversation, but their body language was clear enough. They were cheerful and laughing. A group of... friends.

Kouga had already counted four ways they could easily be ambushed.

She honestly didn’t get how practically all people here didn’t guard themselves in  _ any  _ way. There were  _ five  _ of them, and they still had  _ multiple blind spots _ .

And Kouga knew this was because they genuinely didn’t believe there was any danger here. Even knew that, objectively speaking, there truly wasn’t  _ that  _ much active danger here. Even reapers were bound by rules.

She slid her gaze over the dozens of other people spread out across the grass, Most possessing very rudimentary control over their power, not spilling all over the place. Nobles from Seireitei, but not rich nobles. Nearly all were clustered in small groups, a few sitting alone, reading a book or scroll. 

And  _ none  _ of them were on guard. Not even the ones who’d taken up sensible positions, Kouga unable to even tell whether those people had done so on purpose or accidentally.

The way these people  _ allowed  _ themselves to be so vulnerable– no, it was worse than that. It wasn’t that they deliberately acted like this. It was that they were  _ genuinely  _ unaware that they were vulnerable in the first place.

And while Kouga understood that intellectually, understood that this was a natural consequence of living an easy and peaceful life... she couldn’t wrap her head around it emotionally. Just like she couldn’t really understand how these people simply acted kind without a demand for anything in return. Oh sure, there were unspoken expectations, she’d gotten that by now. But even if those weren’t fulfilled, the people here didn’t turn hostile. Just got mad  _ without  _ becoming aggressive, generally doing nothing more than either avoid or insult you.

She just didn’t get it.

It was why she had so much trouble with Obito and Rin. She knew that in their mind, those two truly considered her to be a friend. And they acted accordingly. They held those unspoken expectations towards her.

Kouga knew she would never be able to fulfill them. But she also knew those two would consider it a betrayal when that happened. No matter how much it wasn’t. 

They weren’t friends.

But the way people behaved here, also explained just why Obito and Rin refused to believe that. They truly enjoyed her company –most of the time anyway– and Kouga often enjoyed theirs as well. For Obito and Rin, that was enough to call them friends. They didn’t even consider the possibility that a person could enjoy someone’s company, could even like them a lot, and not be friends. The thought literally never crossed their mind.

And that was the reason they couldn’t understand that Kouga  _ wasn’t  _ their friend.

Though she would admit that they were solid allies. After all the help those two had given, her conscious didn’t really allow for anything else. No matter that they’d never demanded payment. By now, they’d been so helpful that Kouga honestly felt guilty when she thought of refusing the small favors they occasionally asked for.

So. Allies. But very much  _ not  _ friends.

“What do you think about your Asauchi?” Hayate’s question made her briefly flicker a full glance towards him as he carefully glided his hand along the bladed edge of his own Asauchi. She shrugged, not really in the mood to talk. But his question did make the Asauchi slung on her back flicker to the front of her mind for one moment, it’s impossible presence whisper-screaming contradictions at her.

Hayate gave her a calculating glance.

See, this was why she felt so at ease with him. She enjoyed his company most of the time, and she knew he enjoyed hers as well. But unlike with Obito and Rin, there was the unspoken understanding that, if it came to it, both of them would abandon the other. They knew exactly where they stood. He knew her protection only stretched so far, and she knew he wouldn’t even try to protect her aside from passively watching her back and, depending on the situation, give her a fair warning.

The knowledge was comforting.

Though by now, their relationship had shifted to one of solid allies as well, Hayate doing small favors without prompting, just like she did for him. And while her protection was still valid, Hayate was repaying it with far more than simply giving her a warning about Minato. For one, having someone around to keep watch, was  _ unbelievably  _ helpful.

It reminded her of her time with–

“Anything you want?” he offered, making Kouga a little surprised. He really did want to hear her opinion.

“I think Asauchis are unnerving.” she told him instead of taking him up on his offer, her own curiosity now roused.

Hayate gave her a questioning look in return. Apparently he didn’t agree. How unexpected. 

“The way they absorb power is disturbing.” she elaborated.

“Well yeah, but it doesn’t try to steal it. You have to be sending energy towards it on purpose for that to happen.” Hayae told her, obviously not having a problem with this. Kouga shrugged in return. Her power was hers. She didn’t like the fact that it could be taken so easy, no matter that it had to be done on purpose.

Hayate hummed softly and shifted most of his vision back towards his unsheathed Asauchi.

“That’s not actually what I meant though. What do you think of the way it feels?” he asked.

“Weird.” she immediately answered, making Hayate snort and give her a small grin.

“So fucking weird.” he agreed. Kouga felt a fleeting smile grow.

“I don’t get how it can be so weak and powerful at the same time.” she said, wanting to hear his opinion about this.

“Exactly!” Hayate exclaimed, voice a fraction louder than their previous soft tones. “Just... how? How can it be both?”

So basically, Hayate was of the same opinion as her. On this issue at least.

“No idea.” Kouga admitted. Her answer made Hayate groan softly and look down at his Asauchi in frustration.

“What about the bonding thing? Any thoughts?” he continued.

“I asked Minato.” she told him. “He said we’ll learn how to do that in Meditation. He also said you’re supposed to share your hopes and dreams with it. Apparently the Asauchi stops feeling so weird if you do.” she added, curious as to how Hayate would react to this information.

Hayate gave his Asauchi a long look, expression turning... wistful.

“Hopes and dreams huh.” His voice was near inaudible, more aimed towards himself than her. It made Kouga return most of her vision towards the people spread out below, feeling just a little uncomfortable. And maybe...

Maybe she felt a little wistful herself.

The people below looked so carefree.

They looked unafraid.

Hayate sighed softly. And then he gave her a wary look as Kouga grimaced and pushed down her power a lot further, just below the point of blinding. Then Hayate did the same before she could even warn him, both the grimacing and the pushing down of power.

One of  _ those  _ people was coming this way. 

Both of them began making their way to the opposite side of the dojo, taking care to stay low to the roof, using the decorations rising up along the edges of the roof to stay out of sight. When they got to the other side, Kouga slid down a pillar, Hayate doing the same, both of them not using any energy. They quickly started moving away from the Kido ranges, startled screams telling them  _ that  _ person had arrived.

Maybe part of Kouga was a little envious of the way the people here were so carefree. But most of her was fiercely glad she wasn’t like them. 

And this right here, was a perfect example of why that was.


	12. Dangerous Minority

Both Hayate and Kouga were in the same group for Basic Education. So after eating dinner in one of the gardens, they went towards their assigned classroom.

They joined the trail end of a group of people all moving in the same direction. All those people stopped in the hallway where Kouga and Hayate were supposed to be as well, joining the dozens of people already there. Kouga and Hayate kept back, keeping everyone within sight. So did thirteen other people. 

Five of those people were given a wide berth by everyone present, many people glancing towards them with uncomfortableness, wariness, or fear.

Kouga very carefully did not look towards them fully. And not towards three others as well. Hayate didn’t either.

As time passed, more students joined, until Kouga estimated there were almost a hundred people present, though she didn’t bother to count them individually. No, she spend her time carefully not looking towards  _ those  _ people, whose number increased to fourteen as time passed.

Kouga had a very,  _ very  _ bad feeling about this.

When the second bell rang, most students disappeared into two classrooms. All except twenty-three people, including Kouga and Hayate.

All those fourteen people were still here.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck!  _

No one moved.

The door of the classroom Kouga was assigned to opened, every person shifting to keep the newly arrived Shinigami within sight, either from their peripheral vision, or fully like Kouga and Hayate were doing. They kept very carefully not looking towards those fourteen but never lost sight of them either. 

The reaper took one look at the stand-off happening and sighed softly, before giving them all a hard look.

“Alright, this is what’s going to happen. You’re all going to enter this classroom one by one and take a seat. And the instant you step into this room, you’re not even going to think of attacking because I will electrocute you if you do. Clear enough?”

Kouga got the message loud and clear. The rules were different for this class. She wasn’t the only one who had gotten this.

Some of those fourteen  _ smiled _ . Others  _ grinned _ .

Making a snap decision, Kouga moved forward before anyone else, Hayate hesitating one moment before following. The reaper stepped aside, still giving the others a cold look. Kouga forced herself to keep looking forwards as she passed by him instead of turning her head.

When she entered, she immediately took the best seat, the one on the last row, closest to the open windows. The fact the windows were open was not reassuring. It meant the reaper was expecting trouble. 

So was Kouga.

And while she’d promised Hayate protection, that only extended so far. In this case, she wasn’t going to give up even the slightest advantage.

Hayate himself took a seat in front of her after a brief, almost unnoticeable hesitation, deciding the quick escape route was more important than the small blind spot it could create. And Kouga gave him a nod after he flickered a quick glance to the seat next to her, the one that was a potential blind spot. She would give him a fair warning.

That was all though, because this situation was...

_ Fuck _ .

The next people who entered were not those fourteen, six people filling up the seats as close to the open windows as possible. The fifteen remaining scattered themselves across the remaining spaces. None of those fourteen took a seat next to Kouga, thank fuck. Instead, that seat was filled by a white haired man, who’d given her own seat an envious glance. When one of those fourteen sat down next to him with a bone chilling grin, the white haired man looked absolutely panicked, before he quickly suppressed it. Mostly at least.

Kouga had a buffer. Excellent.

Everyone had positioned themselves in their chair to best keep an eye on everyone else. Seven were as tense and wary as Kouga, even if it took different forms. 

Those fourteen were not.

The reaper entered last, took one look at them all, and sighed softly once more, before closing the door behind him. He was… pretty strong actually, the strongest teacher she’d yet to see. Not at her level, but comfortably above everyone else here. But of course, the reaper’s strength was absolutely necessary if he was planning to teach all those people  _ at the same time _ .

Well, he was comfortably stronger than everyone, except for one black haired man baring his pointy teeth in a mockery of a grin, dark eyes gleaming with nothing but a pure lust for blood. That man was also deliberately forming a buffer between the other thirteen and the very pretty guy sitting next to him. As always. 

The pretty guy wasn’t one of those fourteen. But he wasn’t as tense as the rest of Kouga and the others. No wonder, with protection like that.

Kouga kept observing everyone closely, just like all others were doing. Before this, she’d pegged nineteen people aside from herself and Hayate as being from an outer District, but two she hadn’t. One was the blue haired guy she most often saw blushing with the auburn haired woman, though that woman wasn’t present right now. The other was a blue haired woman, though her hair was a lot darker than the guy, who was sitting… regally was the closest term Kouga could think of. The woman was positively oozing elegance and grace.

But while she hadn’t pegged down those two as being from an outer District before, she did now. They were both just as on guard as Kouga herself. No matter how hard the woman tried to pretend she wasn’t.

She also noted the lack of three people she’d been sure were from an outer District as well. And Kouga had a strong feeling she hadn’t been wrong about that. Most likely, those three had run away after yesterday. After all, Kouga had been wavering fiercely on doing that exact same thing herself.

Of the people present, nine had positioned themselves defensively, including herself. Even the pretty guy sitting next to the man with the pointy teeth was doing so, those two sitting on the opposite side of Kouga on the last row. And while the pretty guy wasn’t sitting near a window, that man offered a better protection than even the quick escape route.

As for those fourteen...

They were probing around with their power, and all the others –including Kouga– were pushing their own down almost to the point of blinding, energy coiled tight, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. All except the regal woman, who was actually using her power to snap back at any that reached for hers. 

It meant eight of the fourteen were giving her their near full attention. Excellent.

Except two were  _ mostly watching Kouga _ .

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, _ fuck! _

The reaper halted in front of the blackboard and turned to face them. His power  _ pushed _ , all eyes instantly snapping towards him fully, energy of those fourteen, the two blue haired people, and the pretty guy spiking briefly, negating the effects the pressure otherwise would have. Kouga and the others kept an even tighter hold on theirs. And Kouga also made her shoulders hunch, as though pushed down by the force of the reaper’s power like the others were. The entire thing made the tension in the room somehow rise even higher, so thick it was practically visible.

“Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce myself. I am Maboroshi Kisuke, and it’s my job to teach you the basic skills you’ll need to make it through the Academy. As you may have noticed, the composition of this group is rather specific.” 

No, really? She never would’ve guessed.

The reaper’s statement immediately made a woman let out a bark of mocking laughter, before she insolently leered at the Shinigami.

“No shit. Want to show all us  _ special  _ people how fucking stupid we are?” she challenged, daring the reaper to make a move.

He did.

Lifting his hand, power twisting in an instant, a bolt of lightning shot towards the woman, making her yelp and slap a hand across the burn on her shoulder as the smell of charred flesh filled the air. In response, the woman bared  _ all  _ her teeth towards the reaper, her eyes murderous. A dark skinned man immediately burst out laughing, while another man giggled, making the woman shift those murderous eyes towards them. The other eleven all let out various expression of cruelty and glee, one woman’s eyes growing lidded with desire.

Kouga ensured her own expression stayed perfectly blank, remaining ready to run at a moment’s notice. She wasn’t the only one.

Fuck, fuck, fuck,  _ fuck! _

The reaper pushing his power hard once more made everyone fall silent, those fourteen, the blue haired man, the regal woman, and the pretty guy, all flaring their energies briefly again. Kouga and the others didn’t, three of them twitching violently once more, all of them hunching briefly because of the pressure. Though Kouga was the only one who faked the movement.

The reaper gave them all a stern look, eyes frozen.

“While I encourage any questions you might have, you  _ will  _ ask them politely. Do I make myself clear?”

Crystal.

When no one spoke, he nodded in approval. A useless gesture, it’s not like those fourteen were actually going to listen. Not when they were all gathered like this. 

Not when it was clear the rules for this class were different than for any other. 

But the demonstration kept their attention on the reaper,  _ not  _ on Kouga, which was the most important thing.

The reaper looked back towards the still murderously glaring woman.

“To answer your question, there is indeed a reason all those from the outer Districts are gathered in this class. But it is not, as you said, to show how  _ stupid  _ you are. On the contrary, it’s because you, unlike the others who do not know things like writing and basic maths, will learn these skills faster than them.”

“So we really are  _ special _ . How nice.” a man sneered from behind the scarf covering his face –Kushimaru, she recalled– The man tensed  _ gleefully  _ as the reaper lifted his hand once more. 

The Shinigami took one look at his reaction and decided not to fire, lowering his hand again. Instead he spoke in that same calm and even voice.

“The reason you will learn these skills faster is very simple. When you graduate, no matter what part of the military you end up in, you will be expected to fight. More specifically, you will be expected to fight Hollows–”

“Hollows, of course. Certainly not helpless people who spill such pretty red–”

The reaper pointed his hand towards the woman who was speaking with sweet poison, and with another near instant twist of his power, lightning shot towards her.

The woman moaned in ecstasy, eyes closing, an expression of rapture across her face. It made the dark skinned man laugh loudly again, while the other man began giggling madly once more. 

Kouga so  _ desperately  _ didn’t want to be here. And she viciously cursed whoever had decided to teach Basic Education to all the students from the outer Districts at the same time. She’d done her very best to  _ avoid  _ these people with all her might, and she’d been fucking succeeding too.

And now she would be forced to spend _ every evening _ with them _ in closed quarters _ .

May whoever had decided to group them together have their guts pulled out through their nostrils, their genitals burned off with acid, and their eyes ripped out and shoved down their throat.

“Please don’t interrupt me when I’m speaking. Save your questions until after I finish.” the Shinigami said in that same calm voice, hard eyes flickering across everyone present. Kouga kept her expression perfectly blank as those dark eyes met her own briefly. “As I said, all of you will be expected to fight Hollows, no matter where you end up.” The reaper ignored the mocking and derisive sounds eight of the fourteen let out. And the manic giggles from one of them as well. “You will do this by being given information on your– targets.” he continued after an almost unnoticeable hesitation. Almost. “Basic level of Reiatsu, specific abilities, a general location. And  _ all  _ of that will be given in the form of writing.”

Every one of those fourteen  _ shifted, _ power plays falling away, nothing but ruthless calculation left in it’s place. That same razor focus was shown by every other person as well, including Kouga, no matter that she carefully kept her expression blank. Because that… that was an  _ extremely  _ important reason to learn how to read.

It could easily mean the difference between life and death.

And even the ones who reveled in violence and pain now paid careful attention to the reaper’s words. Because even to those that didn’t have the end goal of surviving like Kouga did, the mere offer of locations was a  _ huge  _ attraction to them.

Kouga knew  _ exactly  _ how these people worked. Many of them truly didn’t have survival as their priority, not in the way she did. But that didn’t mean they wanted to die either. 

It meant that their first desire was to fulfill whatever their particular brand of sadism. This did not in any way meant that they were easy to take down. In fact, the opposite was true. These were the people who had perfect “the art” of violence and pain. The ones who wanted to live so they could continue their “craft”.

They were the most dangerous of all the students here. And the only reason they hadn’t yet gone on a killing spree, the only reason they always left campus to get into fights, the only reason they only fought each other, that there hadn’t been any permanent damage in those fights, was because they would be banished back to their District if they did. Or be killed.

And that would cut down on their “fun”. 

Their  _ future  _ fun.

There were many people like them in Inuzuri. But these fourteen were so much more dangerous than most. Because unlike the overwhelming majority of their type, they were still capable of rational thought, capable of restraint.

They were capable of  _ patience _ .

Kouga so  _ unbelievably  _ didn’t want to be here. 

“You will be taught other skills as well, but I will teach you to write before anything else.” the reaper continued, seemingly unfazed by the brutal focus of those fourteen. “More specifically, I will teach you the most basic way to write. Because while you will be capable of getting through this first month without taking notes, that will soon change.”

“Why?” one of those fourteen demanded in an even voice, deliberately unchallenging, nothing but a pure demand for information. The reaper turned his hard eyes towards him.

“Because after we have gotten a firm enough grasp on your physical abilities, your curriculum will expand to more than the four basic ones your are now following. And those courses will not be physical, they will be aimed to teaching you the theoretical knowledge all Shinigami must have. That amount of information will be too great for you to memorize without repetition. So you will need notes. These new courses will also often require written tests and essays. And if you regularly fail those… you will be send back to your District.”

Even though no one moved, the air somehow managed to become even tenser. The reaper gave no sign he even noticed.

“So I have one month to teach you the bare basics. That is not enough time. In fact, the first six months I will be focussing on teaching you how to read and write, and even that will probably not be enough. But in this first month, I can teach you enough to ensure you will not fail. However, I can only do so by cramming every second full of information.”

The reaper’s eyes turned to flint.

“And if you keep  _ playing games _ with me, that time will be  _ wasted _ . Which means  _ you will fail _ .” The Shinigami didn’t use power to enhance his words. He didn’t need to.

As he stayed silent, an unspoken agreement filled the air. During this class, those fourteen would completely contain themselves. 

But  _ only  _ during this class.

The message wasn’t aimed towards the reaper.

Yet the Shinigami obviously felt it happening as well and gave another nod of approval, before picking up a piece of chalk.

“Get out scrolls and charcoal. The lesson begins now.”

He turned towards the blackboard as everyone did as he’d ordered, the Shinigami beginning to write and speak before everyone managed to pull their supplies out.

“There are three ways of writing, and they are used in various combinations. These are kanji, hiragana and katakana. Kanji are both the most common and the most complex–”

Kouga listened intently as the reaper explained how he would first teach them to write purely phonetically instead of using the characters –kanji– Rin and Obito had mostly been teaching her and Hayate. These phonetic characters were what he would focus on this month, to ensure that they’d at least be able to copy down the information told in class, even if they still wouldn’t be able read the exact explanations on the blackboard.

Kouga carefully copied down the different phonetic characters the reaper showed, the Shinigami repeating them out loud over and over again, until she was certain she wouldn’t forget the sound associated with the character. 

The focus this required was just enough to keep in control of the  _ desperate  _ urge to flee. Well, that, and the fact that it would draw attention if she left now.

Kouga did not want  _ any  _ attention from those fourteen in  _ any  _ way. Ever. 

Except _she didn’t have a choice!_ Because she would be forced to spend _every evening_ _with_ _them!_

Kouga very carefully focused on the lesson.

The fact that those fourteen were actually behaving was making this both easier and harder to accomplish. Because while she knew they wouldn’t attack during this class, seeing people like  _ them  _ act  _ patiently _ …

It made the cruel and sadistically calculating glances they frequently shot towards random people even more unnerving, Kouga having to work so hard to suppress the urge to flinch every time it happened to her.

This was the calm before the storm.

And it would end the moment this class did.

So the  _ instant  _ the bell rang, Kouga channeled  _ power, _ dropping her charcoal, abandoning her bag, only keeping hold of the scroll she’d written on during this lesson, and shooting out the window, Asauchi secure on her back. Six others did the same, all near simultaneous, everyone’s power still mostly pushed down.

Kouga snatched Hayate around his waist before he could finish his instinctive dodge and  _ ran,  _ sensing the twist of a spell happening behind her, hearing a crash, mad laughter and giggles, an enraged scream.

For one eternal moment it seemed Hayate would struggle. But then he grasped her in return, keeping himself balanced, making it easier to run with him, unflinching of the bruises she was creating by banging him around, the difference in height making the hold awkward. And she refused to give up speed to compensate for it.

So Kouga  _ ran, _ increasing her power and speed as she got further away, leaving the range of those people, moving faster than Hayate could ever manage on his own. She ignored the presences she blurred by, running so fast she couldn’t even process their reaction to her passage, her surroundings nothing but streaks of color. When she got close enough, she jumped up the snow white wall which signified the edge of campus ground and shot across the roofs, disappearing into Seireitei.

She was so focussed on getting away that she didn’t even do more than create a minimum distance from the reapers that always patrolled the borders. But they didn’t follow, thank fuck.

When she was finally satisfied with the distance she’d gained, she dropped Hayate down the roof she’d halted on and pulled back most of her power. Though she kept her range broader than usual.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,  _ fuck! _ ” Hayate cursed softly as he pushed himself upright, his own power doing a very careful check of their surroundings as well, before he pulled his energy back, locking it down near completely as he aimed too wide eyes towards her, the animalistic fear from last night back in full force.

“ _ Fuck _ .” Kouga emphatically agreed, starting to walk along the roof. She rolled up the scroll she’d nearly torn in her haste to get away. A lot of the writing on it was smudged, because of course it was, because everything was just…

_ Fuck! _

Hayate followed quickly, still wide eyed and panicked. He didn’t have either his bag or scroll, only his Asauchi.

“ _ Fuck _ . Fuck, fuck, fuck,  _ fuck! _ Just…  _ fuck! _ ” he continued fiercely, still keeping his voice down.

Kouga agreed  _ completely _ .

Because the thing was, Kouga knew she could take every one of those fourteen, she  _ knew _ . 

Except  _ it didn't matter _ . Because the same rules that kept those fourteen in check, bound Kouga as well. She could take them.

She couldn’t kill them.

And while she knew that some of those fourteen would back off if she proved not to be easy prey, others would find it a  _ challenge _ . They would keep hounding her, would never give up, would transform her entire life in a nightmare kept  _ just  _ within the boundaries of the rules.

And the moment they thought they could get away with it, they would kill her. Worse, they would be planning for that exact moment, no matter how long it took. So would some of the ones who would back off. It could take  _ years, _ and they’d still go after her. They wouldn’t stop until they killed her. 

Because people like that  _ fixated _ . The  _ only  _ hope she had at averting that, was by ignoring and avoiding them.

Except  _ she couldn’t! _

“ _ Fuck _ .” Hayate muttered again, still too wide eyed, echoing her sentiments exactly.

_ Fuck _ .

After gaining enough distance once more and finding a building with enough signatures inside it to firmly mask their own, they sat down the roof, back to back, just not touching, so close she could feel Hayate’s body heat.

Both of them kept freaking out in utter silence.

Eventually, Hayate let out a hissed breath.

“What do we do?” His soft question made Kouga snort, her hysteria almost bursting through.

“What can we do?” she countered, voice just as soft as his, but also much too high, even for her. It made Hayate let out a strangled sound, half hysterical agreement, half animalistic whimper.

Because that was the entire problem. They couldn’t do anything. If they stopped going to that class now, that would  _ definitely  _ attract some of those people’s interest. But if they kept going, the odds of one of those people eventually fixating on one or both of them, was a practical certainty as well.

They couldn’t do  _ anything _ . Nothing but…

“We wait.” she told Hayate.

“ _ Wait? _ You want to just  _ wait? _ ” he shot back in an incredulous and purely panicked voice.

“Any better suggestions?” Kouga bit back, desperately hoping the answer would be yes, knowing it would be no.

Hayate let out a near soundless, completely broken laugh.

“No.” he said, hysterical and utterly defeated. Kouga suppressed the urge to close her eyes. She hadn’t thought so. Waiting really was the only thing they could do. It wouldn’t do anything more than delay the inevitable, but–

_ Kido _ .

Kouga’s eyes went wide. 

After the reaper had finished interviewing her, he’d given her a thorough explanation about the rules. One of them was that after classes started, “spars” would officially be allowed, but only under supervision. And yes, some of  _ those  _ people had been testing the limits of that rule already, but she’d only ever seen one of them deliberately break it. That woman had started a fight on campus, and had impaled her opponent through the leg with a broken branch. That woman had also immediately disappeared from the Academy afterwards. So had another man, who hadn’t started a fight on campus, but who’d been getting twitchier and twitcher with every passing day.

Kouga and Hayate had done even more than usual to avoid that particular man. Until one day, with no warning, he’d disappeared as well.

The rules here were heavily enforced. Even spars had firm boundaries, aimed towards ensuring people wouldn’t be able to kill each other, even “accidentally”. 

But Kido was different.

Kouga had seen the way a same spell could have different effects. Knew they could be deliberately sabotaged, the reaper’s demonstration had made that perfectly clear. So if one of those people fixated on her…

The rules said that Kido could only be used in spars if approved by a teacher beforehand, and only non-destructive spells in the first year. And of course, only under supervision. 

But if she just happened to make a mistake when casting an approved non-destructive spell, and this led to a lethal “accident”…

If she played this  _ very  _ carefully, she actually had a decent chance at surviving this entire disaster. But she’d have to play it very,  _ very  _ carefully. And more importantly, she’d need time. As much as possible.

“I have a plan.” she said in a near soundless voice, one Hayate would barely be able to hear.

She practically heard Hayate’s mind shift, his sheer focus an almost physical sensation.

“Kido.” she continued.

“What?” Hayate returned just as near inaudibly, the demand razor sharp.

“Kido is easy to make mistakes in.” she said so very softly, not daring to say more. Not when reapers had shielding.

Not when she didn’t know the limits of it.

For a long moment Hayate didn’t speak. Then he let out another hissed breath.

“We need time.” he stated matter of factly, nothing but ruthless calculation.

“As much as possible.” Kouga agreed. “So we wait.”

“No, we need to do more. We need to figure out their specifics hunts, and if they start hunting, we need to behave so that they’ll want to draw out the hunt as long as possible.” he shot back. Kouga pursed her lips, frowning slightly. He was right.

She let out a soft sigh, mind turning towards those fourteen, analyzing all the things she’d learned about them. Her tension and fear was still at an all time high, but at least she was no longer mindlessly panicking. 

At least she now had a plan.

“The man with the pointy teeth is the least threat.” she began, immediately making Hayate snort softly. The sound still held an undernote of pure hysteria, but he was no longer mindlessly freaking out either.

“For you maybe.” he said, sounding almost dry. Kouga felt her lips briefly twist in a mockery of a smile.

“No, he’s more of a threat to me than to you. He’s one of those who loves the fight. Loves a  _ challenge _ .” she said, feeling nausea rising just from the idea of attracting that man’s interest.

Because Kouga was  _ powerful _ . And that would attract that man’s interest like nothing else could. But at the same time, he was one of those that, if she beat him, wouldn’t want to kill her.

He would want to fight her. All the time. Which was  _ extremely  _ terrifying of course, but also a  _ lot  _ less terrifying than what some of the others would want to do. 

More importantly, he wouldn’t want to kill her. In fact, in her particular case, he’d probably be pissed if she died. 

So. He was the least threat. Though his threat was a little higher for Hayate. Not that the man would try to kill him per se, but he wouldn’t care if he did. Still, with the rules in place, this fact was negated. A lot. A very lot.

“I thought he was one of the ones who liked hurting others, not fighting.” Hayate returned with his own observations.

“No. He enjoys that too of course, but it’s not his main goal.” Kouga said, absolutely sure of this. 

Just because she ignored those people, didn’t mean she hadn’t been observing them. In a very careful, very unobtrusive way.

“The last time he returned from a fight, both his opponent’s cheekbones were broken, and she had a shattered collarbone as well.” Hayate said pointedly. Which, yes, were some of the most painful things to get broken, absolutely agonizing until healed. But…

“His mood is always just as foul and angry after he returns from a fight. No matter whether he badly hurt someone or not.” she countered.

“...You’re right. Oh thank  _ fuck,  _ you’re  _ right _ .” Hayate breathed out, full of unending relief. No wonder, unlike her, he didn’t stand a chance against that man. Which probably explained why he’d missed this as well. 

It was hard to objectively analyze someone when they could rip you apart with their bare hands. Literally.

A moment of silence passed, Kouga still ordering those fourteen from least to biggest threat. Instead of lumping them all together in the  _ avoid at all cost _ category like she’d done before. 

Aside from the man with the scarf and the man with the eyepatch, there was one other who truly enjoyed specifically hurting people in a fight. That was the small woman –well, relatively small. To Kouga, everyone was big– with red hair.

The problem with those three, was that Kouga wasn’t sure whether pure pain or killing was their goal. If it was pain, they would be a threat at the same level as the man with the pointy teeth. But if it was killing, then those three were some of, if not the, highest threats. In fact, beating them would only make them that much more dangerous.

People like that  _ never  _ let prey defeat them. Which meant that, if their goal was killing, she had to pretend to be as weak as possible and lose to them.

Except there had been the Zanjutsu incident. The classes that morning hadn’t held any of those fourteen, but the odds of them not hearing about it was practically zero. Not when Kouga’s own class was such a chatty bunch. That wasn’t even mentioning the other classes who’d come to gape.

Fuck.  _ Fuck. _

And the worst part, was that Kouga knew she’d react exactly the same every time she had to “train” with a reaper. She wouldn’t be able to help herself.

Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck! _

“The woman with the black hair doesn’t want to fight. She just wants to torture and, or rape people to death. And I’m pretty sure she wants weak prey. Well, prey who won’t be able to put up a real fight at least.” Hayate said, pulling Kouga out of her renewed panic.

“Yes.” she agreed, mind still racing on how to deal with the fact those fourteen would know she was powerful. She should’ve thought of this before. Fuck, she should’ve thought of this the very  _ instant  _ she’d lost control against the reaper. This entire time she’d been hiding her power level, and she’d adjusted her behavior to imply that she was a little above average. That wouldn’t work any more.

Which meant she was going to draw interest, no matter what.

“They’ll soon know I’m powerful, if they don’t already.” she told Hayate, wanting his opinion. 

A moment of silence passed, Kouga practically hearing him adjust for this new factor.

“...What’s the exact limit of your protection in this case?” he finally asked. Kouga felt another fleeting mockery of a smile grow.

“Depending on the situation, there are four I’d protect you from. Those are the black haired woman, the brown haired woman, the blond haired man, and the spiky orange haired guy. Ten I’d abandon you to. But I might change my mind about two of those, if discovering new information Those are the woman with the orange eyes and hair, and the man with the big nose. I’d also be willing to keep helping you in private.” she answered. Hayate let out a soft sigh.

“That’s better than I expected.” he told her with a touch of gratitude. It made an almost real smile appear on her face.

Another moment of silence passed. Then Hayate let out a soft, pained groan.

“Fuck.” he mumbled near soundlessly. Kouga kept silent.

She figured that her power would make six of those fourteen back off, but three would absolutely hate her for it. If she beat them in a fight at least. If that happened, those three would plan to kill her. She’d also attract some people’s attention for certain, chief among them the guy with the pointy teeth. But in the case of the remaining seven, she honestly wasn’t completely sure what their reaction would be. She didn’t have enough information, a consequence from the fact those people were currently restricted by rules. Though of those three, the green haired man had to be avoided at all cost, no matter what.

“We need to spend time with your reaper.” Hayate’s statement made Kouga’s thoughts screech to a halt.

“What.” her near inaudible voice was flat. First of all, what. Second of all,  _ her  _ reaper? And most importantly, spend time with  _ Minato? _

“It’s our best option.” Hayate shot back in a tight voice. Kouga resisted the urge to turn around and look at him in incredulous disbelief.

“He’s a  _ reaper _ .” she emphasized sharply, trying to snap Hayate out of his sudden bout of insanity.

“Exactly.” Hayate retorted instead. “He’s a reaper. More than that, he’s a fucking  _ powerful  _ reaper.  _ You  _ are fucking dirt compared to  _ that _ .” 

This time Kouga scowled fiercely. Damn it all, it made sense.

Because Minato was all those things. Which meant that, if she “willingly” spend time with him, if she created the impression the blonde Shinigami had laid dibs on her…

Fuck, why did it have to make sense?

But there was one very important question. Did the risk of spending time in Minato’s presence outweigh the risk of those fourteen?

No. 

Yes. 

Maybe.

Kouga allowed herself a soft groan.

In so many ways, the risk was so much greater. Except the blonde reaper was going to keep hounding her anyway, even if she kept doing her best to avoid him.

Minato hadn’t hurt her yet.

So, factoring that in… the risk of being in the blonde Shinigami’s presence often, was almost as great as the risk of those fourteen combined. Almost. And Kouga needed time. As much as possible. Being seen with Minato would all but guarantee she’d have that.

_ Fuck _ .

Kouga groaned softly once more.

“Alright.” she agreed. In return, Hayate let out a sound that could vaguely be interpreted as a laugh.

“I’d really hoped you’d come up with something else.” he confessed, another note of hysteria creeping through.

Yes, well. She hadn’t.

Silence fell once more. And even though she knew it was futile, Kouga desperately tried come up with another alternative. 

She failed. So she went back to ordering those fourteen.

Eventually she finished that as well and sighed, tension still so high is was physically painful. Hayate himself had made no more attempts at speaking either.

Both of them knew those fourteen wouldn’t attack them tonight. Or tomorrow. Or even in the next weeks Probably not for months.

But the fact that they would spend  _ every  _ evening with those people  _ in closed quarters _ , basically guaranteed at least one of them would fixate. At the least.

If they were lucky, those fourteen would fixate on other people in their class first. 

Yet right now, at this very instant, there was nothing she could do about that. So Kouga made a decision about what to do next.

“I’m going to see if one of the bath houses is free.” she told Hayate as she stood.

“Again?” he returned, almost sounding wry. Mostly still terrified though. Kouga didn’t answer, simply jumped across the roofs with small bursts of power, keeping to the shadows, night by now having officially fallen. Hayate followed in silence.

Kouga really hoped one of the bath houses would be free, though she also knew there was little chance of that at this particular time. And she definitely wasn’t going to bathe if there were more than a few people present. But she also really wanted to soak in the heavenly water. To relax.

Watch or not, she had a strong feeling that otherwise, there’d be very little chance of her being able to force herself to sleep this night.

\---

She wasn’t in luck, there were still many people in all of the bath houses. Though thankfully none of those fourteen.

So Kouga and Hayate took a detour towards his room, which was closer than hers, and quickly gathered a scroll and charcoal each. Then, after returning to the bath houses and installing themselves behind one of them, they got to work. They couldn’t sit on the roof this time, they needed the light from the high and narrow openings the bathhouse had, steam escaping, rising softly into the air.

First, they copied Kouga’s smudged scroll, the characters still fresh in their mind. Then they each took turns speaking the characters out loud, soft enough that they shouldn’t be overheard, not with the chatter coming from the bathhouse. They did this until both of them could flawlessly recall the sound of each character, no matter what order they were given in. Then they traced the characters into the dirt after speaking the corresponding sound, until they could hear a sound and immediately draw the character as well.

By the time they finished that, most of the people in the bath houses had left. And one was completely empty, the lights gone dark.

Perfect.

They didn’t turn on the lamps when they entered, simply undressed quickly. Kouga didn’t leave her stuff in the changing room though. Instead, she placed all her clothes, the scroll, the charcoal, and her sandals, inside her gi and tied it closed. Then, Asauchi in hand, she brought them along to the washing room, where she made fast work of cleaning herself. Hayate, who’d brought his stuff along in the same way as her, took his time with this instead. That man was fascinated by soap, he really was.

His hair was also doing a lot better as well, short fuzz now covering the bald spots. Though he’d still need to wear the bandana for a while before he’d stop sticking out without it.

Kouga dragged a stool next to the bath, placed her bundle on it and put the Asauchi on top, all of it within easy reach. Then she entered paradise.

_ Bliss _ .

Kouga closed her eyes as she tilted back her head,  _ savoring  _ the heat, tension already melting away. She kept her range a little broader than usual of course, but other than that…

Kouga relaxed.

The best part, was that there was no chance of fainting. Because the thing Obito had said? It only applied to spiritually null people. Kouga had found that out about two weeks ago, when she’d overheard some nobles explaining to this to Rukongai students as she’d been waiting for the bath houses to become less crowded. She’d immediately tested this by spending an entire night in the bath, to Hayate’s great annoyance. Though she’d made it up to him a few days later by spending a night in Seireitei looking for stores that sold candy. And stealing enough to give him a huge stash.

But the night Kouga had spend in the bath, had been  _ glorious _ . And when the sun had started to rise, she’d been wrinkly and red all over, yet she hadn’t felt faint even for one single moment.

It was one of the most wonderful pieces of information she’d ever learned. And to Hayate’s further annoyance, it caused her to greatly increase her previous time spend in the baths. Though he always stayed of course. After all, her protection was only valid when he was near her.

Luckily, Hayate wasn’t as much of a talker as even Rin. Which was good, otherwise she’d most likely have terminated their deal long before it could grow into an actual alliance. Then again, Hayate was smart, he’d probably figured this out himself. So maybe he was naturally more chatty, he always spoke more when they were with Obito and Rin anyway. But when they were alone, he tended to keep conversation to the minimum.

Hayate was very pleasant company.

After a while, he joined her in the bath, sighing softly in delight. He might complain about the time she took, but he enjoyed it immensely as well. Just not as much as Kouga.

Time passed, both of them keeping silent, Kouga not thinking about anything in particular. Not even about those fourteen. 

Much anyway.

This was paradise.

Eventually Hayate got out, dried off, sat down the damp ground and placed his bundle of clothes in his lap, Asauchi on top. Then he leaned against the bath and promptly fell asleep.

Kouga herself kept enjoying the sensation of the hot water surrounding her, only barely managing to resist the urge to slip under the water completely. 

Finally, after who knew how much time had passed, she got out of the water. She didn’t wake Hayate, simply dried off, grabbed the Asauchi, the sudden paradox distracting for one single moment before it became a whisper at the back of her mind, and moved towards the changing room. It was a little difficult in the darkness, but she managed to find a mirror. She returned to the washing room with it, placed the Asauchi back on her bundle of stuff, and lit a lamp.

The light made Hayate abruptly snap awake and jump up, bundle of clothes clutched tightly inside his arms, eyes darting around, ready to spring into action. But after taking one look at what she was doing, he simply rolled his eyes, sat back down, placed the bundle inside his lap once more and went back to sleep.

Kouga unwrapped the mirror. She stared.

It wasn’t overwhelming to do this anymore. Not in the same way at least. By now, Kouga had managed to work through her issues, had learned to deal with the dissonance of seeing a small child as her own reflection. But she still looked into a mirror every time she came here. 

It wasn’t because of vanity.

When Kouga looked at her reflection, she saw her mother. 

Mother was there in the angle of Kouga’s cheekbones, in the exact curve of her lips. The small dip in the center of her chin, the sharp slant of her eyes.

Kouga knew she wasn’t a perfect replica of her mother of course. For one, mother’s eyes had been a beautiful gray, not green like her own. Her face had been sharper, longer, her chin stronger, the tip of her nose tilted upwards slightly, in a way Kouga’s wasn’t. Mother’s hair had been perfectly straight and black. She’d had a small beauty mark, right beneath her left eye.

And yet…

Kouga brought up a hand to trace the small dip of her chin.

And yet, after she’d managed to look beyond the unfamiliar child looking back from the mirror… Kouga had seen the similarities. 

She’d remembered mother’s face in a way she hadn’t managed in far too long.

So every time Kouga took a bath, she took a moment to look into a mirror. To see her mother.

It was why she hadn’t even tried to scar her own face, no matter how terrifyingly adorable it was, especially now that she was no longer skin over bones. She simply couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when it might mean she wouldn’t be able to see her mother anymore.

Kouga’s fingers traced her own lips. 

She’d tried to smile, once, in the way she could still recall mother had done so often. She hadn’t tried more than once. The fake and lifeless thing that had looked back wasn’t her mother.

It had made her remember, with perfect clarity, what mother had looked like when–

Kouga had nightmares that night, stronger than she had in a very long time. So. No smiling. Without it, her reflection was only a pale imitation of her mother.

It was more than she’d ever had.

After sitting there a moment longer, looking at her mother, memories from so long ago clearer than ever… Kouga closed her eyes. She turned the mirror away and blindly wrapped it back up. Then she took one single moment to focus on one of the precious moments dancing through her mind.

_ Boo _ . Mischievous gray eyes appearing from behind a blanket, a wide smile as Kouga giggled –softly, always softly– mother nuzzling her stomach, chuckling softly herself, warm and beautiful.

Kouga’s throat became too tight, eyes moist. She swallowed with difficulty, opening her eyes and blinking rapidly to get rid of the moisture. Then she got to her feet, Asauchi in hand, and grabbed her clothes. She picked up the mirror and put out the light. This time Hayate didn’t wake, simply shifted slightly. So Kouga brushed her energy against his.

Immediately Hayate snapped awake, jumping to his feet once more, cargo cradled inside his arms, body coiled tight. Kouga moved towards the changing room. As Hayate became fully awake, he did the same with a yawn. Both of them dressed in the darkness, before leaving the bath house and going to Hayate’s room, entering through the window.

“I’ll take first.” he told her, Kouga nodding in acknowledgement. Pulling off her sandals, socks, gi and hakama once more, she laid down on one of the blankets laying opposite of the futon. Unlike her, Hayate adored that squishy thing.

She placed the Asauchi right beside her, close enough that she could instinctively grab it, but not that she was touching it. While the Asauchi’s presence usually wasn’t distracting unless she focused on it, it was near impossible to force herself to fall asleep with the thing whisper-screaming contradictions at her from the back of her mind.

Curling into a small ball, Kouga forced herself to fall asleep.

And after the entire fiasco of not only today, but yesterday as well, she was very proud of the fact she managed to do so.


	13. Nasty Surprises

The next morning Kouga definitely didn’t feel like interacting with Obito and Rin. And fortunately for him, Hayate didn’t either. So after grabbing breakfast, they installed themselves on the roof of the cafeteria, hidden behind a decoration.

Kouga liked that practically all roofs in the Academy had decorations. It made up for the fact that nearly all of them were sloped as well.

But then, she supposed they might be sloped on purpose. There were nobles who also used their power to run around after all, even if they didn’t do so near constantly like she did. But they didn’t use the roofs, using specific paths crisscrossing the grounds instead.

Kouga didn’t like using those paths. There were just too many people for her tastes.

After finishing breakfast, Kouga observed the people below, watching who entered, who left, and who went to eat breakfast in the courtyard. Hayate sat next to her, also watching his surroundings. And also rolling a candy inside his mouth, savoring every moment of it. But his eyes were a little unfocused, brow furrowed pensively, thoughts aimed inwards.

After a while, Hayate sighed softly.

“We didn’t finish ordering those people, or how we should react.” he told her, pulling her attention away from the three people who seemed to be in a very animated discussion, though she wasn’t able to hear about what exactly.

What Hayate had said wasn’t exactly true, Kouga had categorized them and decided on how to act, and she’d be very surprised if Hayate hadn’t done so as well. But they hadn’t compared them yet, which would be useful. So she tilted her head towards him and gave him an inquisitive look. It made Hayate roll his eyes, before he began his own evaluation.

“The brown haired woman isn’t a lethal threat, she wants to be hurt as much as she wants to hurt. If she becomes interested, she’s the easiest to placate, we only need to cause enough pain. The black haired woman, the blonde man and the silent orange haired guy will back off if– you prove to be stronger.” he continued after a slight hesitation. Understandable, Hayate might be able to take on the black haired woman, but the others to would be _very_ difficult for him. Practically impossible actually.

Kouga inclined her head. Those she would protect him from. After all, she wasn’t going to be able to hide her power anymore. And those three were... relatively harmless. If she defended herself, they wouldn’t just back off, they’d do so without becoming fixated on her.

Her agreement made Hayate let out a relieved sigh. Then he continued his ranking.

“I _think,_ I’m not absolutely sure, but I _think,_ both the guy with the big nose and the woman with green and orange hair are like the guy with the pointy teeth. Dangerous, but manageable.”

“Why?” she asked in return. It was true that she’d pegged both of them as people who liked to fight, but she hadn’t been able to get a grasp on why that was. Both of them were unnervingly indifferent. They only came alive when challenged to a fight, yet they weren’t constantly looking for one.

Hayate shrugged.

“Just a feeling.” he answered. Well, if it was only a guess, it meant neither of them would risk it. Though she wouldn’t completely discount it either _, just a feeling_ could sometimes mean the difference between life or death. Still, she wasn’t going to take any chances. So she kept those two marked as _potentially most lethal of all_.

“The giggling guy, the dark skinned man and the pink haired woman will also back off, but they’ll also want to kill– you?” This time Hayate’s eyes were uncertain. And frightened. Kouga grimaced.

Those were... more tricky. She didn’t want to protect Hayate from them, not when it meant they would fixate on her. And they would if she defeated them. But...

But if she managed to show them her power before they actually picked a fight with her, such as beating up another of those fourteen within their sight, they’d simply go after easier prey. Without fixating on her. In that case, she’d be able to protect Hayate just by having him stay near her.

And she was going to have to fight one of those fourteen. At the least. The question was simply who. And when.

“Only if I’ve already gotten in a fight with one of the ones that’ll back off.” she finally told Hayate. He nodded in return, quickly hidden calculation flashing through his eyes.

Kouga gave him a deeply unimpressed look. If he actually tried to manipulate her into a fight without her consent, their alliance was over, no questions asked.

Hayate smirked back and shrugged, in a _can’t blame me for thinking about it_ way. And, well, he had a point. So she briefly tilted her head in agreement and mostly returned to her vision towards the people below. It made Hayate’s smirk grow, becoming a little more genuine, before he turned quickly serious again.

“The guy with the eyepatch, the guy with the scarf, and the red haired woman are predators. They just want to break people, then kill them. If they become interested, we need to show terror. It’ll make them want to draw out the hunt as long as possible.”

Kouga snorted softly. No, the best thing would be to have Hayate fight them. It would give Kouga a great distraction to slip away. That was the best thing to do. For her. And the odds of those people either fixating on Hayate, or killing him, were near zero, another plus.

Hayate’s _incredibly_ dirty look told her there was no way that was going to happen though. That was his line in the sand. A shame.

“How do you know those three want to break people?” she asked, curious as to his reasoning. She’d been wavering on whether they wanted pain, death, or a painful death. There was a huge difference between those things after all.

Hayate scoffed and gave her a mockery of a grin, crooked and jagged.

“Their eyes.” he answered simply, his own a little too sharp. A little too broken. “Predators  all have the same eyes.” he continued, voice even softer than before. Kouga suppressed a grimace, still mostly looking over the courtyard.

The thing was, Kouga’s power made her lucky. She knew it did. Yes, she had to eat more, had eventually reached the point where she needed to eat something every day. And after reaching that point, it had never taken more than a day or two without food before she’d begun showing signs of immediate starvation. But her friends–

Her friends had been satisfied with one meal every ten days or so. Mizure had only needed one every twenty. And all of them had been able to go for many more weeks than that before reaching the point of true starvation. Even when using a lot of their own power, they’d still had days to find food. Unlike Kouga. In that sense, her power had been a curse. If she hadn’t needed to eat so much, mother wouldn’t have–

But even that didn’t outweigh the sheer advantages it gave. Because when Kouga had needed to defend herself, she’d always been able to either outrun or kill her attackers. Not because of skill, because of raw power. Even in the beginning, she’d had just enough pure strength to make it out of those situations alive. And yes, using her power like that had most often led to her... being forced to eat meat. But she’d still been alive.

She’d never been hurt like–

Kouga was lucky.

Hayate wasn’t.

She watched the regal woman below as the woman walked across the courtyard. Well, gliding was a more accurate word Kouga supposed. The woman’s chin was held high, shoulders straight, power contained but not hidden, the edges razor sharp. A challenge. A promise. This woman would not be broken.

Not again.

The woman walked in such a way that potential ambushes were kept to a minimum. Before yesterday, Kouga hadn’t been entirely certain whether she did this on purpose or not. Because the woman had played it _smart_. She’d hidden herself until the nobles began arriving, and her hair was always carefully styled, her uniform perfectly correct. She used chopsticks, didn’t lick her plates clean, didn’t constantly take the high ground, didn’t race around the grounds more than necessary. And when she did, she used the paths the nobles used for that purpose.

The woman had hidden well. But now Kouga knew.

So did those fourteen.

“The green haired man we need to avoid at all fucking cost.” Hayate’s abrupt statement made her snort softly.

“Agreed.” she said firmly, making Hayate grin, and it almost looked real.

Because the green haired man was _mad_. It was there in his random bursts of silent weeping, the absent way he sometimes watched his surroundings. Not unfocused. _Absent_.

The man was mad. And that made him _unpredictable_. Kouga didn’t know what kind of behavior would trigger him, couldn’t understand the way he reasoned, not even in the most basic of ways. People like that, were the most dangerous of all.

Aside from reapers of course.

“Anything to add?” Hayate asked. Kouga shrugged in return. Not really, she basically agreed with all of it. “I’d really appreciate a spoken answer.” he told her dryly. Kouga silently sighed.

“No, mine’s the same.” she said out loud. Hayate nodded, satisfied with that. Then he pulled his Asauchi out of its sheath and started fiddling with it. Again.Though this time without using his power.

Kouga herself went back to watching the people below. And specifically, the two people arguing so loudly she could hear every word loud and clear. Though both their power was kept under strict control, even if it wasn’t hidden.

She watched the man throw up his hands and stomp away, the woman he’d been arguing with immediately going after him, grasping his shoulder, forcing the man to turn around.

“Don’t you walk away from me, we need to talk about this!” she yelled, eyes such a vivid red Kouga could see them flash even at this distance.

“So you can lay all the blame with me? Thanks, but no thanks.” the man shot back sharply, voice a fraction under shouting, words carrying up to Kouga without any trouble.

“I’m not laying the blame– okay, fine, I am! If you hadn’t decided to kiss that _whore_ –”

“ _She_ kissed _me!_ Hell woman, you–”

“Don’t you call me _woman!_ You know I hate–”

“Then stop blaming me for things that aren’t my fault!”

“You _kissed_ her!”

“ _She_ kissed _me,_ you insufferable, impossible _wom_ –”

“ _Stop calling me that,_ you arrogant, _aggravating_ –”

The man surged forward, cutting the woman off with a deep kiss. The woman froze for one moment before surging forward herself, her power spiking, brief but sharp, hands twisting through the man’s hair, yanking him even closer.

Really, it wasn’t so much a kiss, as that they were continuing their argument by having their tongues fight physically. Kouga honestly wasn’t sure whether this would lead to sex, violence, or both.

A few whistles and catcalls made the couple jump apart. They stayed rigid and tense a moment longer, both their chests heaving. Then the man’s shoulders slumped, posture turning tired and regretful. He took a step towards the woman, cupping her cheek gently. It made the woman close those vivid red eyes, her own shoulders slumping, tension melting away. Both of them started talking again, but this time Kouga wasn’t able to hear them.

A relatively small distance away from them, was the group who’d made the whistles and catcalls. Which had been cut short by two gentle smacks and a harsh poke in the ribs respectively. One woman looked at the couple with a furious blush on her face, obviously trying to avert her eyes away from them, and also failing spectacularly. Next to her, a man was snickering, his own cheeks a little rosy as well. The two women next to him were grinning, one widely, one sightly, both seeming more gently amused than anything else. The last guy in the group was talking with a gleeful expression, his eyes still on the couple.

And leaning against a pillar a little further away, not near enough to belong with the group, was a man chewing on a twig, looking at the couple in a way that seemed more long suffering than anything else.

Eventually the couple kissed again, but this time it was soft and sweet, their foreheads leaning together, the woman gently entwining her arms around the man’s shoulders. Then they kissed a little longer. Then a lot longer. With no signs of stopping.

The man chewing the twig became not only long suffering, but completely exasperated as well, eyes now raised towards the sky. Very expressive.

This time, the couple was interrupted by the warning bell. The couple stopped sharing air.

A shame, this had been interesting to watch. But it was time for class.

Kouga gathered both hers and Hayate’s dishes, got up, and gave him a nod of farewell. Hayate nodded back as he sheathed his Asauchi. Kouga moved forward, Asauchi on her back, and dropped down from the roof, breaking her fall with a small flare of power, startling the two people sitting to the left.

Was she sticking out? Yes. But by now, Kouga had accepted that she would always stick out, no matter what. And not just because of her size. Unlike the regal woman, she didn’t want to change her behavior so radically. Couldn’t, it was already hard enough to deal with... everything, and if she actually had to walk around so vulnerably, Kouga knew she would have a mental breakdown. So she contented herself by not sticking out _too_ much.

There was also the fact that she _adored_ being able to use her power freely like this. Kouga liked few enough things that she wasn’t going to give even one of them up if she didn’t absolutely have to.

Ignoring the two people still looking at her in astonishment, she quickly entered the mess hall. She dropped off the dirty dishes, ignored the urge to light the entire place on fire when she saw how much dishes there had _wasted_ food on it, and walked back out the entrance. Then she waited in a shadowed corner.

The couple was already gone. Pity.

When Rin, and Obito as well, left the cafeteria, Kouga fell into step with the brunette. Rin was talking with one of the people she regularly hung out with, the one with the light gray hair and green eyes. Obito himself was in deep discussion with two other guys about something that had apparently happened the night before. Something involving dices apparently.

“–didn’t think– oh! And good morning to you too.” Rin said, startling briefly, before a smile appeared as she finally noticed Kouga’s presence. Kouga nodded back, feeling the slight exasperation she always did at how long it took for one of them to notice.

Rin’s smile grew a little warmer, and she looked towards Obito, while the woman she’d been talking to –Mabui, she was pretty sure– tried to give Kouga a real smile. And failed, looking uncomfortable instead. Kouga had noticed she had that effect on some people. In particular, on the ones that tried to talk to her. It got worse the more times they tried.

She couldn’t say she minded. The reaction made them give up their attempts at conversation pretty quickly.

“Obito.” Rin called out, voice a little raised. And as always, it immediately captured his full attention, Obito turning towards her, abandoning his own conversation. “Look who’s here.” Rin continued cheerfully, tilting her head towards Kouga.

When Obito’s eyes met hers, he grinned widely.

“Hey Kouga-chan! Sleep well?”

She’d slept alright she supposed. Better than expected at least. Having a watch was incredibly useful like that.

When she didn’t say anything, his grin grew. But as the guy next to him –Tess-something– said something about having the spirits on his side, Obito turned back towards him with a frown and was drawn back into the discussion. Which was apparently about cheating. It made Rin chuckle, after which she gave Kouga another warm smile, before continuing her own conversation with Mabui.

Kouga herself wondered how class would go. She desperately hoped they wouldn’t have to “spar” against a reaper.

Then again, given that she now had hand-to-hand, the odds of that were pretty low.

Wonderful.

* * *

 

The very good news was, she didn’t have to fight a reaper. The bad news was, Kouga learned her last name was registered as _Inuzuri_.

The teacher, a black haired Shinigami named Onozuka Yaoki, had begun the lesson by doing a name call. And when he’d come to Kouga’s name, he’d called her _Inuzuri_ Kouga.

That was...

 _No_.

Inuzuri might be the place she came from, but she refused to take it as her “family” name. She was Kouga, written like Steel Fang. That was the name mother had given her, and she wouldn’t defile it by adding _Inuzuri_ to it.

Her shock at learning this had actually been so great that she’d been unable to suppress a brief, horrified expression, even though a reaper had been present. And Rin had definitely noticed, giving her a worried look. But she hadn’t asked, and for that Kouga was grateful.

This had been a very nasty surprise.

After that, the reaper had told them they had to pick a partner and that they’d be expected to fight while the Shinigami watched. This announcement had been followed by a brief bout of chaos as everyone looked for an opponent. For some reason, Rin had immediately chosen her. Kouga kind of liked that. It meant the odds of this entire thing going lethally wrong became even smaller. Having allies was useful like that.

On the other hand, she’d have to hurt Rin. That wasn’t something she was looking forward to.

As the first two students moved towards the center of the dojo, Kouga sat down with all the others. Though she kept her Asauchi slung on her back, unlike most, who simply laid it on the floor, or on their bag.

Kouga wondered what she would learn today. Yesterday had already given her a rough image of these people’s fighting abilities, but that image had been skewed. Both by the fact their opponent had been a reaper, and because they’d had to use a bokken.

“Okay! So, uhm, well...” the Shinigami began, before trailing off uncertainly. Then he visibly rallied himself. “Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. Suzume, it was Suzume, right?” he aimed towards the curly black haired student. The woman nodded back, looking as nervous as the reaper himself. Which was so incredibly bizarre to see, yet so oddly fascinating as well. A nervous reaper.

“Suzume.” the reaper repeated firmly. “You’ll defend yourself against, uhm...”

“Daikoku.” the other student supplied with a small grin. The Shinigami nodded decisively. And yet, he still looked _nervous_.

“Right. So you’ll defend yourself against Daikoku. Now, I need you two to fight with everything you got. Don’t hold back, alright?”

“Got it sensei.” Daikoku answered, grin growing a little wider, while Suzume began looking scared. Daikoku gave her a reassuring look, making her relax a little, her fear disappearing. Though her nervousness didn’t.

Meanwhile, the reaper smiled with satisfaction.

“Okay. You’ll fight until I tell you to stop, and then you’ll switch roles.” he said as he moved an end back, diagonally from where the students were sitting. Then he sat down himself and pulled a scroll and charcoal from... somewhere.

Shinigami uniforms had to have inside pockets.

The reaper looked over the rest of them and gave a sheepish smile.

“Ah, I know this might seem, uhm, kind of boring, but just... pay attention, this is really important. Oh, and, you know, if you want to talk, don’t do it too loudly.”

His pronouncement immediately made chatter rise. And Kouga felt completely exasperated at the way almost no one was truly paying attention. Aside from five people, including Kouga herself.

Rin was, of course, already talking with the people next to her. But at least she kept her eyes on the two fighters.

The reaper gave them all an uncertain look, but then he turned his attention back to the two fighters as well and cleared his throat.

“Okay then. Go.”

Neither moved. The reaper faltered, but before he could say anything, the man slowly moved forward. And then...

Oh. Oh wow.

He _sucked_. Kouga had never seen someone suck that badly, she really hadn’t. Yesterday the man hadn’t been good either, but now he was just so impossibly _bad_. His punches were sloppy, agonizingly slow, and glaringly telegraphed. The woman was moving out of their way without having to use any effort at all. Even for someone who couldn’t control their power, this was...

This was just embarrassing.

“Stop! Just, stop!” The Shinigami obviously thought so too, he actually looked horrified.

Both the man and woman stopped moving, looking towards the reaper. Suzume in slight confusion, while Daikoku looked a little amused. The Shinigami cleared his throat and attempted a stern look. Emphasis on attempt.

Kouga had never seen a reaper as bizarre as this one. He actually seemed to have... no confidence whatsoever. She’d almost call it shy, except he was too nervous for even that.

“When I say fight, I mean _fight_. Think of it as a matter of– of life or death. Okay?” the Shinigami said, starting firmly, but ending uncertain once more.

“Sure, no problem sensei.” Daikoku answered, sounding suspiciously patronizing.

Kouga would never understand these people.

Yet the Shinigami nodded, looking pleased. He... kind of seemed like an idiot.

Except he was a _reaper_.

“Okay. Okay. So let’s– let’s try that again. And go.”

Daikoku moved forward again, a fraction faster than before. And then...

He still sucked. So bad.

This time the reaper let out a strangled sound and jumped upright.

“Stop!” he yelled, looking horrified once more. The two students halted their... movements.

Kouga couldn’t call this a fight, she really couldn’t.

“You– I said _fight,_ not this– this–” The Shinigami flailed an arm, apparently at a loss for words. It made a few students smile or chuckle. As for the “fighters”, the woman looked chastised, while the man seemed bored.

The reaper gave the laughing students a bewildered look. Then his expression grew hard, Kouga immediately tensing up completely in return, ready to spring into action. This was what she expected from a reaper.

The Shinigami flared his power _hard,_ making the students wince or gasp for breath, Kouga hunching her shoulders in response, everyone falling silent, wide eyed and uncertain.

“You think this is funny?” the reaper demanded, soft and dangerous, eyes cold and cutting. Kouga watched him warily, observing from the corner of her vision as a few students shifted their weight, glancing around guiltily. Most simply kept giving the reaper an uncertain look, though she noted two seemed mulishly defiant.

No one spoke.

The reaper thinned his lips. Then he began yanking open his gi, scroll and charcoal falling to the ground but the Shinigami didn’t seem to care. This time it was the students who were bewildered, looking on with astonishment. One bravely stupid woman actually laughed softly, but it was a nervous, halting sound that soon died off.

Because the reaper finally managed to get one arm free from his gi, baring his chest. And on his left side, from right beneath his arm to just above his hip, was a row of brutally jagged marks forming a crescent pattern. A Hollow bite. One that should’ve been fatal.

Kouga so desperately wanted to know how to heal.

“Do you think _this_ is funny too?” the reaper bit out in that same dangerously soft tone. It made a few students shift again, but most simply looked horrified. Including Rin. A consequence of living such sheltered lives Kouga supposed.

The reaper gave them all another cutting look, Suzume flinching when his eyes landed on her. The woman had actually brought up her hands to cover her mouth, while next to her Daikoku looked pale and wide eyed.

The reaper _bared his teeth_ , Kouga immediately suppressing the screaming urge to run, keeping absolutely still.

“Hakuda, and everything else we teach you for that matter, is _not_ a game. It’s a matter of life or death. Sooner rather than later, these skills _will_ save you life. Not might, _will_. Being a Shinigami doesn’t mean waving your Zanpakuto around, or bagging about all the _cool tricks_ you can do. It’s about fighting, about risking your _life_. And guess what, if you make it long enough, if you  _survive,_ it’ll be to find that so many of your friends _didn’t_.”

The reapers harsh voice made many students flinch, all tensing up as much as Kouga. If for a different reason. Horror was rising off them so strongly it became almost tangible. Most had paled further as well, a few even becoming a little green.

The reaper practically sneered, eyes piercing through every student one by one. Kouga kept her expression impassive as his gaze briefly locked onto hers.

“You want to know how I got this scar? I was send on a training mission, the kind _you_ will be send on. I was send with three others, one of them a fully fledged Shinigami. And the mission went _wrong_. The _only_ reason I managed to get free from the Hollow, was because I’d kept a hold of my Zanpakuto and stabbed the beast through the eye. The only reason I _survived,_ was because our teacher managed to keep me stable until we got back to the healers. But the thing is, there’d been four of us. One student didn’t make it. And you know why?”

The Shinigami fell silent, but no one spoke. No one even moved.

The reaper _bared his teeth_ again, and Kouga almost felt a flinch escape, only just managing to keep herself seated.

“Because she was treating the entire thing _like a game_. And she did so, right until the Hollow _tore her head off!_ ”

Kouga heard some people choke, others gag. Next to her Rin’s skin gained a green tint as well, her eyes too wide.

Kouga had to admit, if she ignored her own terror, she actually approved of the reaper’s speech. These people really needed some sense knocked into them. On the other hand, that might turn some of them into something of a real threat. Yet she didn’t want them to die either. Because Kouga honestly didn’t believe any of these people would manage to survive if they ever got in a real life or death situation. Including Rin or Obito.

Well, that just meant she’d simply have to make sure she was more dangerous than them, no matter if they improved or not. After all, unlike _those_ people, Kouga knew that if she beat the people here, they wouldn’t fixate on her. Would probably go out of their way to avoid her in fact, which would be another benefit.

With one final cutting look, the reaper pulled his gi back on. He picked up the scroll and charcoal, before turning his full vision towards Suzume and Daikoku, expression still hard.

“When I say fight, I mean _fight_. And if you can’t do that, then _get the hell out of here_. Quit the Academy and go home. Otherwise, you’re just throwing your own life away.”

The woman flinched violently and looked down towards the floor. The man however, kept meeting the reaper’s gaze. But he looked ashamed, red creeping up his neck.

“So. Will you fight?” the reaper asked in a deceptively soft tone.

“Yes Onozuka-sensei.” both of them answered, Suzume mumbling, while Daikoku spoke loud and clear. The reaper nodded decisively in return.

“Good. That’s good.” And suddenly the harshness flew out of him, the Shinigami turning awkward, shifting his weight a little. He coughed softly into his fist and gave them both a small, uncertain smile. “I’m ah– I’m going to sit back down. And after I say so, you two start fighting again, alright? Oh, and, uhm, let’s– let’s have Suzume attack this time. Okay?”

The woman looked startled, but the man nodded firmly in agreement, his own expression firm and resolved. The Shinigami gave another uncertain smile, both to the two of them, and the rest of the students. Then he moved back to his original position and sat back down.

“Alright. Suzume. Daikoku. Go.” he ordered.

For one moment, no one moved, Suzume looking extremely uncomfortable. The reaper faltered once more, shifting in place a little. But before he could speak, Daikoku did.

“Come on Suzume. Hit me with your best shot.” he coaxed, bringing up his hands in a defensive position. The woman took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her back straightened, expression turning determined. She opened her eyes and brought her fists up in front of her. She moved forward. And then...

Well. Kouga supposed it was an improvement at least. The woman also sucked, but it was clear she was giving it her all. She did manage a few hits at least, and she was actually pretty limber.

But she still sucked. So much. Daikoku easily managed to block every one of her punches. Really, if she just used her legs too, Suzume would do a lot better. The woman had already let three glaring opportunities to knee the man in the balls slip by, as well as two opportunities to kick him in the gut.

Still, this at least looked a little like a real fight. The reaper seemed to agree, intently watching them and regularly writing things down. And this time, all students were actually paying attention as well. Though very soft chatter was slowly beginning to rise once more.

Eventually, Daikoku fell for an obvious feint and left his face unguarded.

Suzume struck him right on the nose.

Daikoku’s head snapped back, blood splattering to the floor. And instead of capitalizing on the opening, the woman yelped and brought up her hands to cover her mouth again, looking completely horrified.

The reaper beamed.

“I’m so _sorry_ – Dai, are you alright?” the woman asked, lowering her hands and reaching for Daikoku, who was now leaning forward, a hand covering his nose. He waved her off.

“Ib bine.” he said, the sound nasal and unclear. Suzume opened her mouth to speak, but the reaper spoke before she could.

“Great! Really, that was just great! Good job Suzume!” he said as he put the scroll and charcoal down, before standing up and moving over to the two, still giving the woman a beaming smile. “Here, let me see.” he immediately continued as he turned towards Daikoku, one hand making the man stand up straight, while the other tilted back his head. The man let his own hand drop down, obediently standing still as the reaper inspected him.

Kouga made a mental note to make sure she didn’t get any wounds herself. With Rin as her opponent, this was actually an achievable goal.

The reaper hummed, not using any magic, simply inspecting the wound visually.

“Nothing serious, it’s just going to bruise and be very tender for a day, maybe two.” he proclaimed confidently.

“Hood do nob.” Daikoku replied, still nasal and unclear. The Shinigami gave him an uncertain smile, before looking towards Suzume.

“Can you grab a towel?” he asked. The woman briefly looked confused, before realization replaced it.

“I– yes of course.” she answered, and quickly moved over towards the edge of where the students were sitting. A redhead –his name escaped her, but it was the relatively viciously attacking one– handed over one of the towels placed in neat piles next to him. She took with with a soft thanks and moved back towards the reaper and Daikoku.

Daikoku took the towel, starting to wipe the blood away.

“I’m really sorry Daikoku.” Suzume told him again.

“Don’t be. You did good Suzume.” the reaper immediately said with a brief, but once more beaming smile.

“Yeah, dat bas a good one.” Daikoku also told her with a smile, sounding a little more understandable than before.

The standards for fighting in this place seemed to be as ridiculously low as the standards for hygiene were high. And while this was excellent news for Kouga, it was also... kind of really sad.

As the Shinigami ordered the two students to switch roles before moving back into his previous position, Kouga listened with half an ear to one of the conversations happening around her. This particular one was between six people, who were discussing what being a Shinigami would truly mean. Kouga found it interesting how they only focussed on Hollow hunting. Beside a short mention of also having to patrol the Rukongai, they hadn’t spoken of anything else, and even that had been linked to Hollows.

Keeping an ear on that conversation, Kouga watched as the fight started up once more. This time, it was obvious that Daikoku was actually putting in an effort and it showed. He still sucked, but not so badly anymore. Suzume was okay at dodging though, her agility coming in handy. But then, that had already become clear during Zanjutsu. If she’d use her power, the woman could actually become good at dodging pretty quickly.

“Kouga-chan?” Rin’s soft question pulled her attention away from the retelling one person was doing of a Hollow attack he’d witnessed once. Kouga made a mental note that some people from the higher Districts had actually experien– well, _observed_ dangerous situations. But apparently that was very much the exception, judging from the reactions the story was getting.

She tilted her head towards Rin to show she’d heard, keeping most of her vision on the reaper and the fight.

“I’m... not going to go easy on you.” Rin continued. And the statement was so out of the blue that Kouga shifted most of her vision towards her, meeting Rin’s determined eyes. In response, Rin grimaced slightly, but her expression remained stubborn and resolved as well. “I– This is important. I’d be doing the both of us a disfavor if I gave it anything else than my best.”

Wait, did that mean Rin hadn’t been planning– of course she hadn’t. Honestly, Kouga needed to stop being so surprised by things like this.

“And I want you to give it your all as well.” Rin continued, giving her a fierce look.

Kouga briefly allowed her complete exasperation to be shown. Because _of course_ Rin had assumed Kouga would take it easy–

...Actually, that was kind of true. This wasn’t a fight to the death. Still, just because this wasn’t lethal –or permanently damaging, can’t forget that either– didn’t mean Kouga wouldn’t treat this entire thing with the gravity it deserved.

It was a _fight,_ training or not.

Rin gave her a confused look, opening her mouth– and groaned softly, closing her eyes, looking just the slightest bit pained.

“You weren’t planning on taking it easy, were you.” Seeing as Rin was stating this rather than asking, Kouga didn’t feel the need to answer. So she turned most of vision back towards the fight.

Though she supposed “spar” was a more accurate word for what the two were doing.

At her silence, Rin opened her eyes. When she saw Kouga had turned away, she showed a brief look of complete exasperation, making Kouga feel just the slightest bit amused. Then Rin sighed softly and looked back towards the spar as well, while the three people who’d apparently heard their conversation gave Kouga uncomfortable looks.

“Rin, are you sure you want to fight her?” one woman –Fuki, she was pretty sure– asked, clearly not meant to be overheard, giving Kouga a nervous glance. Rin gave the redhead a questioning look in return.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” she returned in a pointedly normal voice. Though still soft, as all conversations were. Everyone was now obeying the Shinigami about keeping things not too loud.

“She’s... kind of weir–” the redhead started saying, before quickly amending herself as Rin’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I mean, remember yesterday at Zanjutsu?” she asked instead.

Rin looked at the redhead with cold eyes a moment longer. Then she faltered, looking completely off balance, startled realization crossing her face. A wry smile grew after that, and she looked back towards Kouga.

“I’m going to get my ass kicked, aren’t I.” It was another statement instead of a question. And even though it wasn’t funny at all, for some reason Kouga still felt some amusement rise.

“I promise not to bite.” she assured Rin in a dry voice, surprisingly confident she’d be able to keep it.

Rin snorted in response, amused, exasperated, and with a familiar touch of despair. And the four other students who’d heard Kouga’s promise now gave her openly disturbed looks of various degrees. The one who looked most disturbed even leaned a fraction away from her.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Rin shot back just as dryly, her expression so very long suffering. It made Kouga’s completely inappropriate amusement rise a little higher.

Rin gave her another long look. Then she sighed and looked back towards the fight, just as Daikoku finally managed to hit Suzume. By tackling her to the floor. Not a bad strategy for someone of his size, he really should’ve done that a lot sooner.

“This is going to hurt.” Rin said softly, clearly aimed towards herself. It made Kouga suppress a grimace. Because it was true, the odds of that happening were near certain.

Kouga didn’t like hurting people.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t.

* * *

 

Kouga’s tension was at an all time high. As was her curiosity.

“Now, this will feel a little strange, and it’ll make you lose all feeling in your leg. That’s nothing to worry about, it’s completely normal.” the Shinigami said in a soothing voice.

“That sounds like an _excellent_ plan.” Rin answered with a pained smile, just as tense as Kouga, if for a different reason. Also, unlike her, Rin had added clammy and too pale skin as well.

Rin’s remark made the reaper grin slightly.

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” he quipped playfully. Kouga shifted her balance again, _really_ not wanting to be here. Yet at the same time she... kind of really did.

It was part of the reason why she’d decided to accompany Rin.

The reaper placed his hands on Rin’s leg. Then his power contorted in indescribable ways, a muted green glow coating his hands. Immediately Rin sighed deeply in relief, slumping down the bed, coloring returning to her cheeks as she relaxed completely.

Kouga watched with deep fascination as the reaper, whose hands were no longer glowing, now put his hands on the bone sticking out of Rin’s leg and basically pushed it back into place. Without using power even. He stopped the renewed gush of blood with another minute twist of energy, so quick Kouga barely saw the green coating his palm. Then, power contorting, hands glowing, he placed one hand on the exit wound, and the other above where Kouga estimated the broken bone was.

Seeing this from an outside point of view, active and passive both, Kouga was able to better focus on the currents of the spell, and on the way the reaper’s power entwined through Rin’s own.

She still had absolutely no idea how the Shinigami was doing what he was doing. Yet the results were undeniable. When the reaper lifted his hands, the wound was completely gone, only blood remaining.

“There, all done. Now, don’t move yet, let me just restore sensation...” With another twist of power, the reaper tapped Rin’s leg twice, before nodding in satisfaction. “There you go. How do you feel?”

“...Wow. It doesn’t hurt at all.” Rin said, sounding awed and staring at her leg in amazement.

“Good. Can you test movement for me?” the reaper asked, looking pleased. Rin obediently drew up her leg, before stretching it out again. She did so without any trouble, or even a hint of pain.

Kouga was _extremely_ impressed. She’d once had something similar happen to her, and she’d spend the entire time hiding in terror as she waited for her leg to heal, constantly eating... meat. She’d been too weak, too vulnerable, to scavenge for anything else.

“This is _amazing_.” Rin whispered, clearly feeling the same way. It made the Shinigami grin widely, pleased and proud.

“If you’ve got some aptitude for Medical Kido, you should consider joining the Fourth.” he told her. Rin didn’t look away from her leg as she bend and slowly stretched it out again.

“When will we learn this?” she asked without looking up.

“You’ll start during your fourth year, you need a solid grasp on Kido before even thinking of doing this. But if you have any kind of talent for it, broken bones are pretty basic. If you join the Fourth however, now that’s where you’ll learn _real_ healing.” the Shinigami said, still grinning proudly. He picked up the slightly moist towel he’d placed beside the bed, and carefully wiped the remaining blood away.

A _reaper_ was being _gentle_. Kouga would never ever get used to this place.

“Alright, try to stand up now.” the Shinigami ordered. And Rin did, her amazed expression growing even stronger as she did so without any signs of trouble. Kouga understood.

The reaper nodded in satisfaction once more.

“Well, looks like my work here is done. Put your uniform back on and you can return to class.” the Shinigami stated cheerfully as he stood up, bloodied towel in hand. He gave Rin a smile, before turning a teasing grin towards Kouga. “And maybe try to be a bit more careful next time.” he told her.

Kouga kept her expression blank but did nod in agreement. Part of her found the notion ridiculous, seeing as they were supposed to fight, which of course meant injuries. But a larger part of her truly did agree with the sentiment.

Because Rin’s injury had been... unplanned.

With a final smile, the reaper left her sight, the curtains surrounding the bed falling back into place. Rin slowly bent and stretched her leg once more, still watching in amazement. Kouga felt exactly the same.

Magical healing was _amazing_.

After a final stretch, Rin sighed softly and started putting her uniform back on, her nose wrinkling in disgust as she looked at her bloodied hakama. And looking a little disturbed as well. Then she shook her head with a determined expression and turned a wry smile towards Kouga.

“Well. You did say you weren’t going to take it easy on me.”

Her statement made Kouga shift her balance, still feeling so very unnerved. Not sorry, unnerved.

She hadn’t meant to do this. And that was... frightening. Kouga had always believed she had excellent control over her actions. It was unbelievably disturbing to discover that she didn’t.

Not when it came to fighting.

“I didn’t mean to do this.” she told Rin, wanting her to know it was an accident. Because while this type of wound was apparently absurdly easy to heal here, it wasn’t in Inuzuri. In Inuzuri, this would count as a permanently damaging injury, crippling you for far too long.

In Inuzuri, a wound like this near guaranteed you would die.

Once, it had almost killed Kouga.

Rin gave her a surprised look as she finished putting on her hakama. Then her eyes softened, a small, so very warm smile appearing.

“I know.” she answered, and Kouga felt a little tension melt away. Not a lot though, there were still five reapers in the room, thirteen more in the building.

Rin gave her that strangely comforting smile a moment longer. Then it gained a rueful twist, her hands coming up to close her gi.

“Guess it’s my own fault for choosing you as my partner.” she continued with a touch of amusement. And while that could technically mean it was Rin’s fault, in this particular case the responsibility was Kouga’s. Because she’d underestimated Rin.

“You were... not bad.” she told the brunette. Because Rin really hadn’t been. Eventually at least. She hadn’t been good either, but aside from Shizune, no one in Kouga’s class was. But Rin had clearly meant it when she’d said she wouldn’t take it easy. Her first attacks had been probing and hesitant –and bad. So very bad– but after Kouga had easily dodged those, she’d stepped up her game. Slowly.

It had still been incredibly easy to dodge, even without using power, but eventually it had begun to get a little harder.

Yet after growing more and more frustrated, Rin had turned _sneaky_ , something Kouga honestly hadn’t expected from the brunette who wore her heart on her sleeve. She’d eventually pulled off a pretty decent feint, and her kick had nailed Kouga right across the jaw.

And even though it hadn’t even been hard enough to bruise, it had made Kouga... react.

So she’d used her momentum to spin on her heel, and had kicked the leg the brunette had still been balancing on out from beneath her.

Kouga’s kick had been enhanced by an instinctive flare of power.

The absolute worst part was how she’d only realized what she’d done as Rin fell down screaming, blood beginning to soak her hakama.

“For some reason, I have a feeling that’s a lot more complimentary than I think it is.” Rin said dryly as she finished tucking her gi in, her amusement much stronger now. Kouga shrugged in return. She’d simply said the truth, Rin hadn’t been bad. Eventually at least.

Rin chuckled softly, and gave her another warm smile, her hand twitching briefly. But at least she didn’t try to touch Kouga like she’d done so often in the beginning.

“Come on, we need to get back to class. What’s left of it anyway.” she said as she put on her sandals and slung her Asauchi on her back. Kouga left the infirmary with immense relief, so glad to put some distance between the building where there were _always_ reapers.

The journey back to the dojo’s took longer than getting here, seeing as Rin wasn’t being carried by an unbelievably nervous reaper whose speed had been enhanced. The unbelievably nervous Shinigami had had to be shoed away from the infirmary, another reaper scolding him and telling him he had to get back to his students instead of staying.

It had been Kouga who’d grabbed Rin’s Asauchi – **_always_ ** _treat it with respect_ – following the two as the Shinigami had left with the brunette held inside his arms. And she’d done so because she’d wanted to make make _absolutely_ sure this didn’t count as permanently damaging.

That was the most important reason she’d followed. But the reason she’d stayed, was because she’d so very much wanted to observe the reapers heal that wound. To see, to _learn_.

And she’d been a little worried about Rin as well.

After a short while of walking, Rin hummed pensively and gave Kouga a thoughtful look. She opened her mouth, closed it, and huffed softly, raising her eyes towards the sky. Then she frowned, before a grimace appeared.

Rin was incredibly expressive.

“...You know, it’s... really not good that you didn’t mean to do this Kouga-chan. I mean, it is, but... it’s also dangerous.” she told her slowly.

Kouga scowled.

“I know.” she said, still so unnerved and even frightened by this as well. Because if she slipped up in a _lethal_ way...

Kouga would _not_ be send back to Inuzuri because of _an accident_.

Rin gave her a worried look in return.

“Do you have any ideas on how to fix that? Because, well, I honestly don’t. Though I’ll help you any way I can of course.” Rin said, unnaturally nice and with no sense of survival whatsoever. As always.

Kouga sighed, suddenly feeling tired.

“Not yet. But I don’t want you to help me.” she told Rin. Because every vague notion she currently had involved fighting. Kouga liked Rin, she most definitely didn’t want to fight her.

Not when she couldn’t trust herself not to cripple her. Or worse.

Rin frowned and gave her a chiding look, the one she always made when she thought Kouga was being unreasonable.

“Kouga-chan, this is serious. You shouldn’t try to do this on your own.”

Kouga was confused. She’d never said she would do this on her own, only that she didn’t want Rin to help.

At her silence, Rin frowned harder, expression fierce.

“I mean it. This isn’t something you can do on your own.” she repeated firmly, with just a touch of scolding.

Really, first Rin said she had no idea on how to fix this, then she said Kouga shouldn’t do it on her own.

“Kouga-chan.” Rin said in a warning tone as she kept quiet, making Kouga’s annoyance rise.

“I won’t, but I don’t want _your_ help.” she shot back, a little more snappish than intended. And then she reviewed what she’d said as Rin gave her a hurt look. Oh. Right. That did sound a little mean. “I don’t want to hurt you.” she elaborated.

It made Rin blink in confusion, before she huffed, a wry smile appearing, eyes becoming so very warm once more.

“...Alright. But if you change your mind, I’m here to help.” she said softly, making Kouga feel...

Uncomfortable.

So she shrugged. It made Rin’s smile grow, the brunette chuckling softly. Then she finally looked forward again, apparently content to let the silence return. Kouga was grateful.

Rin was an ally, not a friend. And while she usually didn’t feel too bothered by Rin’s delusion, sometimes Kouga really wished she had some way to make this clear to her. Because there were moments when the way Rin acted made her feel...

Uncomfortable.


	14. Difficult Deals

“You did _what?_ ” Obito demanded, looking torn between incredulity, morbid curiosity and most important of all, true anger.

If the anger won, Kouga was out of here.

“It was an accident.” Rin told him placatingly with a frown, while Hayate warily kept quiet and started scarfing down his food, even abandoning his chopsticks in his haste.

“An acci– _she broke your leg!_ ” Obito’s uncomfortably loud voice made eleven people from the nearest tables look over. Eight of them didn’t return to their own conversations, instead looking on with interest.

Screw it. Kouga put down her chopsticks and quickly started eating with her fingers as well. Immediately Obito turned towards her with a warning look, on the edge of glaring.

“Don’t you dare run away.” he snapped. Kouga managed to chew a little faster, preparing to do just that. She regretted her decision to eat lunch with Obito and Rin.

Rin sighed, raising her eyes towards the ceiling in annoyance and exasperation. But when she looked back towards Obito, her expression softened.

“Obito, calm down. It really was an accident.” she told him firmly.

“She kicked your leg so hard _the bone was sticking out_. That’s _not_ something you do _by accident_.” he snapped back, his anger starting to gain the complete upper hand. Kouga debated whether she should leave this instant or after her meal was finished.

The food won out.

Next to her, Hayate finished the last of his meal but didn’t lick his dishes clean, using his fingers to gather the final bits instead. She actually suspected it had less to do with Obito and more with the two people still openly watching them. At least the others had become more subtle in their eavesdropping after Hayate had given each a sharp glare.

“Except apparently it is.” Rin retorted, frowning once more. Obito gave her a deeply frustrated look in return, his lips curled down in a grimace.

It was almost a _snarl_.

“How can _that_ be _an accident?_ ” he demanded. Seeing as that seemed to be the root of the anger about to break through, Kouga felt compelled to answer, hoping to diffuse the situation.

“Reflex.” Her curt statement made Obito give her an astonished look, completely off balance. Then he groaned and dropped his head down the table, barely missing his lunch, the dishes rattling from the impact.

His posture wasn’t hostile anymore. Excellent.

“Why?” he muttered in a peculiar voice into the table. She had no idea who the question was directed at and didn’t care either, only wanting Obito to not turn hostile again.

No one answered. Hayate was still watching warily, but just like Kouga, he’d mostly relaxed as Obito’s hostility had disappeared. Rin however, was giving Obito a look of wry agreement, no matter that he couldn’t see it. Kouga herself debated a moment before picking up her chopsticks again, figuring the danger had passed. She could take her time and enjoy the rest of her lunch to the fullest.

Obito sighed and lifted his head, expression tired as he gazed towards her.

Kouga munched on some peppers, adoring the way her tongue was set on fire.

Obito groaned and turned to face Rin, exasperated, resigned, and more despairing than usual. Rin nodded back with a look of complete agreement. It made Obito sigh and close his eyes as he leaned back into his chair. Then he took a deep breath, his shoulders deliberately relaxing as he let the air out slowly.

“Okay. Reflex. I can deal with this.” he said firmly, before opening his eyes and giving her a stern look. Stern, but not hostile, though it was still uncomfortable to see so soon after the previous tension. “Any other reflexes we should know about?” he pointedly demanded.

And Kouga honestly couldn’t answer that. She was certain that there were, but also that those reflexes would vary by situation. So instead of trying to name them all, she gave him more general advice.

“Don’t fight me.”

Her answer made Obito startle, showing realization for some reason, before he sighed and shook his head with a small grin.

“Huh.” Hayate’s soft exclamation made both Rin and Obito turn towards him. Hayate’s eyes focused fully in return, drawn out of his thoughts. Kouga gave him an inquisitive look as well, wondering just what it was that had managed to draw his attention away at a time like this.

Hayate’s eyes flickered over both Obito and Rin, calculation flashing through them. Then he sighed softly.

“I’m… pretty sure I’ve got the same problem. I haven’t needed to fight anyone aside from r– the teachers, but yeah. Pretty sure I’m going to run into the same thing. Against people like you I mean.”

That explained it.

“People like us?” Obito returned in an unimpressed voice. But he was still grinning slightly, showing no more signs of hostility. Rin herself had raised a brow towards Hayate as well, looking like she couldn’t decide between being insulted or amused.

Really, wasn’t it obvious what Hayate meant by that?

“People with no sense of survival.” Hayate stated in his most dry voice, apparently confident enough to return to his usual teasing.

“I do believe he’s insulting us Rin-chan.” Obito said just as dryly.

“Oh the pain. However shall we recover from this heartbreak?” she quipped with a smile. Kouga couldn’t help but feel amused as well, so very glad the danger had passed. Hayate himself smirked slightly.

“I mean people who can’t control their power.” he clarified. Kouga supposed he was thinking better safe than sorry. Sometimes Obito and Rin just didn’t get things after all.

It made both Obito and Rin laugh, those two sharing an amused and fond glance, before they returned their vision towards her and Hayate.

“So, just to make sure I’ve gotten this straight. You two have… dangerous reflexes when sparring.” Obito said, lips still curved in a small grin.

Kouga nodded. That about summed it up.

Obito’s grin turned into a smile, eyes becoming even warmer. It was…

Uncomfortable.

Much less than seeing his hostility though.

“Exactly how dangerous are we talking about here?” he asked. Kouga put down her chopsticks and started cleaning the final bits of food from her dishes with her fingers. It was slightly less conspicuous than licking them clean, and seeing as they were eating in the cafeteria this time, she felt more comfortable cleaning them the slow way.

“Crippled and, or dead.” Hayate answered. Kouga would admit, the reactions of the eight still listening in was amusing, the feeling making her relax a little more. Yes, Kouga knew she –and Hayate– were glaringly sticking out, but with these people, that was actually an advantage.

It made them leave her alone.

And to be honest, Kouga was pretty sure that not sticking out would only be possible if she –and Hayate– kept out of sight at all times. Something they unfortunately couldn’t do.

She’d asked when she’d been explained the rules.

But the reactions of the people listening in really were amusing. One even turned around to give Hayate a highly disturbed look after her initial startle, before quickly looking away again as Hayate gave her a cutting glare. Meanwhile, Obito closed his eyes again, this time with a slightly pained grimace. Rin herself looked torn between amusement and despair, a familiar sight.

“Do you have any ideas?” Hayate asked her as he also glowered at the two still openly watching, one with incredulity and another with morbid curiosity. This time those two turned away as well, looking disturbed. They were still listening in though.

“Fighting.” she answered, making Hayate snort and give her a sarcastic look as he reached for the pouch at his side. He had finally relaxed enough to eat his customary dessert.

“Obviously. But who?” he shot back. Kouga shrugged. She had no clue, would probably have to observe a lot of people for some time before finding a suitable candidate.

Obito’s sigh drew most of her attention back to him.

“Why?” he repeated, eyes still closed in a grimace. Although it was deliberately exaggerated, Obito more amused than anything else.

“I blame you.” Rin told him for some reason, even as she gave Kouga and Hayate another smile. Hayate rolled his own in return, throwing the candy inside his mouth, lips curved upwards just the slightest bit. Kouga herself felt her own amusement grow a little stronger, her tension finally fading completely.

Apparently there was no reason to regret eating lunch with Obito and Rin after all.

* * *

 

After lunch she and Rin went towards one of the gardens, where they would have Mediation. And meditation, Kouga quickly figured out, was _impossible_. Which presented a very large problem, seeing as it was apparently the most vital course of all.

The teacher, the same reaper who taught Basic Education, had ordered them all to sit down on the grass, before immediately launching into the lesson. But this time, while his expression was stern, it wasn’t as hard. Wasn’t as dangerous. Not that this really mattered.

“Meditation will be the most difficult class you have. Not because it is physically demanding, nor because it requires intellectual knowledge. It will be the most difficult because for a long time it will seem to be nothing more than sitting down, closing your eyes, and trying very hard not to think. And it is boring.”

The Shinigami’s crisp statement made a few students smile and chuckle, but the reaper immediately flared his power in return, his stern expression never wavering. The laughter faded away.

“Unfortunately for you, this is also the most important course you will have. You can fail Kido and still graduate. You can fail Hakuda, History, Geography, Kido, you can even fail Zanjutsu. But if you fail Meditation even in your first year, then no matter how good you are at all other classes, you will be sent home with no exceptions.”

Kouga tensed up completely.

“The reason for this,” the reaper continued without pause “is because meditation is vital to bonding with your Asauchi. To turn it into a true Zanpakuto. Though it won’t seem that way for a long time, even the earliest among you won’t be able to truly connect with your blade until at least two years have passed. And until you do, until you are able to communicate with your Zanpakuto, meditation will be boring.”

The reaper fell silent, stern eyes gliding over all students.

Kouga vowed that she would not fail Meditation. No matter what.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to be easy.

“So if you want to be a Shinigami, you have push through that obstacle and find the discipline to meditate anyway. Not just during lessons, but every day, as much as you can. Because the truth is, you, the people from the Rukongai, are at a disadvantage. All people in Seireitei learn the basics of meditation during childhood.”

Wait. Childhood?

“When they come to the Academy, they have a solid enough foundation that they are immediately able to learn the advanced forms necessary to bond with their Asauchi. You aren’t capable of that. Yet.”

Kouga pushed the thought about childhood away for now, fully focussing on the lesson instead. She could think about it later. Instead, she listened to the reaper as he explained more about what they should expect from Meditation. At first, it really would seem as though they were doing nothing but sitting down with closed eyes while focussing on their breathing. And on the reaper’s voice apparently.

But after the Shinigami deemed their level of concentration “sufficient”, they would incorporate their Reiryoku. Somehow. The Shinigami didn’t go into details on how they’d do that exactly, saying it would be pointless to do so until they learned to sense it. Which, while untrue for Kouga –and Shizune as well– did make sense. All others in her class couldn’t do that. Honestly, Kouga didn’t mind that the reaper didn’t explain in detail.

Because one student asked what the Shinigami considered a sufficient level of concentration. The answer?

When they could block out their surroundings.

 _Impossible_.

Just the thought of being so vulnerable made Kouga suppress a flinch.

Yet somehow, she would have to find a way.

But _how?_ Even when blinding herself she wasn’t that unaware of her surroundings. Fuck, even when _sleeping_ she wasn’t.

She worried over this the entire lesson. Worried over it as the reaper showed them the position to take for meditation, as they were taught breathing exercises, as the reaper went around and corrected people’s forms. Worried over it as the reaper ordered them to close their eyes and focus on his voice.

Kouga only stopped worrying as the Shinigami began spreading out his own energy, and doing so _gently_. Then it began to… pulse? Yes, it was pulsing. Like a heartbeat. But even more than that, the reaper was _entangling_ his energy through that of the students.

He tried to do the same to Kouga.

Kouga ruthlessly kept her own power from connecting with the Shinigami’s, avoiding the tendrils reaching for her, pulling down her energy as much as she dared. It was _only_ because she wasn’t allowed to leave class that she didn’t run away.

But after that one terrifying moment, the reaper stopped trying to reach for her power, his energy deliberately curving around her instead. It made Kouga let out a soundless breath of pure relief.

Yet even that wasn’t enough to stop her from worrying about meditation. Not after the reaper stopped trying to connect his power to hers at least. And that worry only got worse when she actually tried to meditate.

Breathe in, one two three

“–hold the air, focus on the feeling of–”

_so many presences all around her, four too nearby reapers pulsing their energy as well_

Breathe out, one two three four.

How was she supposed to _ignore_ her surroundings?

Breathe in, one two three

“–sensation of the fabric on your skin, the–”

_one patrolling Shinigami nearing uncomfortably close, a student shifting their weight_

Breathe out, one two three four.

She supposed she should set up a system with Hayate to practice in seclusion. But even if, and that was a very big if, she managed to reach that level in seclusion…

Breathe in, one two three

“–nothing else, only hear–”

_a student’s breathing hitching slightly, the reaper shifting his balance_

Breathe out, one two three four.

How could she ever do so around other people? Around _Shinigami?_

Impossible.

Yet Kouga still swore she would find a way. She had to.

No matter what.

* * *

 

After Meditation, Kouga immediately went to find Hayate, leaving Rin behind. Hayate’s class had been one of the gardens nearby, close enough that she didn’t even need to widen her range. When she met up with him, they started making their way to a more abandoned part of the grounds. They hopped into a roof and seated themselves out of sight.

Hayate groaned, dropping his head down his hands.

“This is a _huge_ fucking problem.” he cursed, voice muffled.

That said it all, now didn’t it.

After a moment of silence, Hayate sighed and lifted his head, eyes immediately flickering over her blind spot.

“Any ideas?” he asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.

And, well.

“No” she answered.

Hayate scowled. Then he let out another tired sigh.

“...I suppose we should just focus on managing it in private first.” he finally said, resigned. Kouga grimaced, even as she nodded in agreement. She didn’t have any better ideas herself.

Hayate scowled again, a shadow of terror still present in his eyes. Though Kouga was pretty sure it was more of a leftover reaction from his teacher than anything else.

“Want to practice until dinner?” he asked.

“You go first.” she agreed, shifting her position to minimize her own blind spot a fraction more and widening her range. Hayate himself shifted to take on the jinzen position, laying his Asauchi within easy reach. Meditation had to be accomplished without an Asauchi first after all.

Hayate closed his eyes. He breathed.

Kouga watched their surroundings, keeping track of both the students and the patrolling Shinigami. One of them was nearing uncomfortably close.

Hayate tensed up completely as the reaper crossed the line from uncomfortably near to being too close. Kouga let out a silent sigh.

The Shinigami had been right. Meditation was going to be the most difficult to learn by far.

* * *

 

After both she and Hayate utterly failed at meditation and they realized nowhere on campus grounds was secluded enough by far, they went to the cafeteria and quickly gathered dinner. They seated themselves on the roof, finished it, and made their way towards the Basic Education classroom. When they were close enough to see it, they jumped into one of the nearby trees.

Kouga kept her range wider than usual as she debated with herself. On one hand, she wouldn’t be able to hide her power much longer. On the other, there was still a very good chance none of those fourteen had realized just how powerful she was. She knew others in this class had though, some of them had had Zanjutsu in the same vicinity as her. But those fourteen hadn’t. Well, eight of them hadn’t at the very least. They wouldn’t be acting the way they did if they knew.

So should she keep up the ruse until she got confronted about it, or should she stop faking right now?

But if she stopped faking, she knew that at the least the man with the pointy teeth would immediately fixate on her. Possibly the green and orange haired woman and the man with the big nose as well. Then again, seven others would immediately drop her as potential prey.

Yet there were still four others –including the red haired woman and the guy with the scarf, the most dangerous of all– who could go either way. Or in ways she hadn’t even thought of. Because people like _them_ were often…

Creative.

Kouga made up her mind to keep faking until she at least had a chance to spend time with Minato. “Voluntarily”.

Just the thought almost made her flinch.

One branch lower, Hayate kept fiddling with his Asauchi, one hand silently tapping the sheath while his other had a death grip on the handle. His eyes kept darting around, body coiled tight, his power carefully inspecting their surroundings as well. Both of them ignored the two other students already present, one on the roof of the classroom, another in a nearby tree. They weren’t those fourteen. Instead, Kouga kept very careful track of the Shinigami inside the classroom. Who never left his desk, never looked up, did nothing else than write.

Really, he was pretending to ignore them better than she’d ever seen anyone do.

But then, he was a reaper.

Time passed, and Kouga managed to distract herself a little from her tension by marveling at the sturdiness of the uniforms. When she’d broken Rin’s leg, her hakama hadn’t even torn, though it had become bloodied. But the bone hadn’t ripped through the fabric. Which really was amazing, Kouga had never seen anything like it. Not to mention that she knew Rin would get that uniform back after washing, and it wouldn’t have even a hint of a stain left.

 _Very_ impressive.

Kouga amused herself by tugging at her sleeve, slowly increasing her strength as she pulled. It actually tooksome time before she started hearing the fabric strain. She wondered what kind of cloth this was.

In the time that had passed, two others had arrived and taken position in the vicinity. But none of those fourteen had arrived yet.

When she finally started sensing the first of those fourteen, Kouga resisted the urge to blind herself. It wouldn’t matter if they knew her position, not at the moment. And Kouga would much rather stay aware of her surroundings anyway. Hayate didn’t blind himself either, that would be just as useless, seeing as he was always with her. He did shrink his range though, his energy becoming less obvious. Less of a target.

But there were two others whose presence immediately blinked out, one of whom she was pretty sure was Shizune. Not only had that presence felt vaguely familiar –oddly foamy in fact– but it had disappeared completely. Unlike the other presence, Kouga still able to find their exact position by focussing hard. Which she briefly did, just to make sure.

Yet as more of those fourteen arrived, the urge to blind herself became so much more difficult to suppress. Kouga _needed_ to remain aware.

Yet having _fourteen_ of _those_ people _in her immediate vicinity_ when _she couldn’t run away_ , made her want to strangle her own presence.

She didn’t. But it wasn’t easy.

When the bell rang, she shot across the grass and jumped into the classroom. But unlike yesterday, she wasn’t the first to do so. Which meant the best seat was already occupied. Apparently, it had been the white haired guy who’d been sitting on the roof.

So Kouga took the second best seat in front of him, while Hayate took the one in front of her. The other seats nearest to the windows were quickly filled out by the people who’d been outside as well.

The Shinigami hadn’t reacted the entire time, still seated behind his desk, writing something down.

Kouga did not look fully towards the door. Towards the hallway where those fourteen were.

But when the door opened, it was the regal woman who glided in, almost too closely followed by the blue haired guy. After them came the pretty guy and the man with the pointy teeth, before the rest of those fourteen entered as well.

And just like yesterday, some of them were _smiling or grinning_.

Kouga suppressed a shiver, keeping her expression perfectly blank instead. She took note of the injuries five of them had as well, which was interesting. Usually those fourteen, the ones who fought at least, didn’t have injuries for more than a day. She knew they got them treated at the infirmary of course. After all, the rules for the infirmary basically went: you came in with wounds and left without them. That was, in fact, the main reason she’d felt confident enough to accompany Rin to it this morning.

But seeing as Kouga had, astonishingly enough, managed to avoid getting injured even in the slightest in all the time she’d been here, she simply avoided the place as much as possible. There were always too many reapers there.

And of course Kouga had already known some of those fourteen had attacked the Shinigami yesterday. But she’d been running so quickly she hadn’t been able to properly registered just who had. Aside from the guy with the pointy teeth, his power flare had been hard to miss after all. But now she saw it had been not just him, but the guy with the big nose, the green and orange haired woman, the man with the scarf, and the blonde man as well. She could also see that they’d lost. Badly. Not in the least because the man with the pointy teeth, the guy with the big nose and the woman with the green and orange hair, were looking towards the Shinigami with _hunger_.

Hayate was right, those two really were like the man with the pointy teeth. Which was very useful. They were still terrifying, but they were also... relatively harmless.

Kouga was very happy to scrap them off her _potentially most lethal of all_ list.

But the blonde guy and the guy with the scarf were looking at the Shinigami in a way that screamed they were fantasizing about his death. Also excellent of course, but it made her reassess the blonde guy. Which was… disturbing. If she’d been wrong about him, who else had she been wrong about?

Then the green haired guy took a seat next to her, and Kouga cursed herself as she felt a flinch escape. Because that reaction immediately made three of those fourteen give her looks of _speculation_.

Kouga wanted to cry. And run. Far, far away. Or, since that wasn’t possible, snap the necks of every one of those fourteen. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible either.

But the knowledge that she could helped her remain in control.

After the last of those fourteen sat down, the Shinigami put down his brush and lifted his head. It made everyone’s focus instantly shift towards him, and Kouga was no exception. The reaper didn’t give any sign he noticed, only giving them the same hard look from yesterday, so much more dangerous than the one he’d given during Meditation.

“Welcome back. Before we begin this lesson, I have a few things to say to those who immediately left yesterday.” he said in a calm voice, cold eyes briefly meeting Kouga’s own. She made sure her expression remained perfectly blank in return. “First of all, when you leave today, please remember to take your supplies with you.” he said with a nod towards the four bags placed on his desk. “Second, I will not tolerate _any_ kind of attack inside this classroom, no matter who it is aimed at. This goes for _all_ students.”

The Shinigami’s eyes were pure flint, his power a sudden weight as he locked eyes with each of the five injured. Kouga carefully hunched her shoulders in response.

“As I demonstrated yesterday.” The reaper’s voice made ice seem warm.

It took so much effort not to flee, and she saw Hayate wince the slightest bit. But luckily his momentary weakness didn’t draw true interest. Not when the Shinigami was making himself a target, a _threat_ like this.

And yet, while Kouga was even more terrified than before, she also... wasn’t as panicked as yesterday. And not just because of the plan.

Because Shinigami didn’t care whether you were one of _those_ people or not. The rules applied to everyone. Which meant that, in a very twisted way, Kouga was relatively… _protected_.

The thought of being protected by a reaper could not be processed. In any way.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. As long as the Shinigami didn’t decide to attack her, Kouga was… _protected_ by his rules. By his presence.

It was the entire reason she and Hayate had decided to “voluntarily” spend time with Minato.

The Shinigami finally stopped pushing his power, Kouga deliberately straightening her shoulders as his eyes glided over all students again instead of only those five.

“With that out of the way, please step forward to retrieve your supplies. The rest of you, take out scroll and charcoal.”

Reluctantly, Kouga stood and started walking forward, resisting the urge to move too fast. She did keep those fourteen within her sight.

 _Every_ one of them looked back. Kouga barely managed to suppress a violent flinch. Hayate, who had followed her, didn’t manage to keep his own contained. Neither did the white haired guy, who’d apparently left his supplies behind as well. The young woman with crimson hair and eyes who also grabbed a bag, didn’t react in the slightest though. That was impressive.

It also meant eight briefly shifted their focus towards Hayate and the white haired guy, while six others lost interest, five of those focussing on the reaper again. Meanwhile, the green haired man’s eyes became… _absent_.

Kouga suppressed another flinch.

The fact that eight of them were giving Hayate any kind of attention, no matter how short lived, was horrible of course, but Kouga couldn’t spare any compassion. She didn’t want any of those fourteen to fixate on Hayate, but better him than her. It would be a lot better if they fixated on any of the others though.

...Now there’s an idea. Kouga made a mental note to mention this to Hayate later.

After everyone retrieved their bags and returned to their seats, the Shinigami immediately continued from where he’d left off. And just like yesterday, Kouga carefully focussed on the lesson. Unlike yesterday, she didn’t give it her complete attention, subtly watching those fourteen instead, trying to determine who they paid true attention to, attempting to discover who she might be able to use as a shield.

The good news was, the guy with the pointy teeth was _interested_ in the regal woman. The bad news was, the black haired woman was interested in Kouga. In a way that made her want to scrub her skin raw. Still, Kouga felt confident that if she beat the black haired woman, the woman would back off. Really, it could be a lot worse. She could, for example, be as unfortunate as the white haired guy. Who held the interest of both the red haired woman _and_ the guy with the scarf.

Judging from the way the white haired guy was desperately trying not to twitch, he realized it too.

Aside from them though, she didn’t really see other specific attention given to someone. Oh, there was the general awareness everyone here had, and for five specific people, a sick pleasure whenever they saw how much they were freaking someone out. But it wasn’t aimed towards anyone in particular. Though oddly enough, it seemed as though the pink haired woman was fixated on the orange haired guy and the dark skinned man. And the fixation was mutual. Hopefully it would be enough to keep their attention far away from Kouga. And Hayate of course.

When the bell finally rang, Kouga didn’t immediately flee like yesterday. Because the reaper flared his power before she could.

“Before you leave, I have one final announcement. You will all have had your first lesson of Meditation by now, and I am aware that this is something you will struggle with.”

Kouga suppressed a snort, feeling a sliver of hysterical amusement. A struggle. You don’t say.

“So I thought it prudent to let you know that the ability to block out your surroundings is only the first step. If you manage to push through that obstacle, you will find that the advanced forms of meditation will be the opposite of that. It will allow you to remain aware of your surroundings constantly.”

This time she barely stopped a scoff from escaping. Because obviously that wasn’t something she was already doing. All the time.

Judging from the laughter, giggles, sneers and various other mocking sounds those fourteen let out, she wasn’t alone in that assessment. The Shinigami flaring his power again made them all fall silent though.

“I am aware that this will seem unnecessary for you. I assure you, it is not. The way you are currently aware is but a pale shadow to what meditation will allow you to be. Master meditation, and you will be more aware of your surroundings then you could ever hope to be now. That is without even mentioning the control over your Reiryoku it will give. After all, I do not suppose I have to point out the gap in skills between yourselves and Shinigami.” the reaper very pointedly pointed out.

Those fourteen _shifted_. So did Kouga, only barely catching the narrowing of her eyes in time. If what the Shinigami was saying was true, if _meditation_ was why the gap between herself and Shinigami so great, even if only in part…

Meditation just gained an even higher priority than before, something she honestly hadn’t thought possible.

The reaper gave them all a hard look a moment longer. Then he nodded curtly.

“Dismissed.”

Kouga was out the window before he finished his command, Hayate right at her heels and four others scattering in different directions as well. Just like yesterday, she sensed another spell happening behind her, different powers flaring, mad laughter ringing through the air. Unlike yesterday, she not only had the presence of mind to grab her bag, but she wasn’t running at top speed either. Instead, she was running at Hayate’s top speed. And when she gave him a quick glance, she saw he had grabbed his bag and scroll as well.

Kouga was astonished by both their progress. And that in one day.

After hopping into a tree –inside campus grounds even. Kouga was proud of herself. Proud of Hayate as well actually– Hayate dropped down on a branch with an exhausted sigh. Kouga sat down next to him and angled her scroll so that the light from the building next to them, letting the few rays peeking through the foliage to illuminate it.

Would you look at that. She hadn’t even smudged her writing this time.

Kouga was _very_ proud of herself.

“I think that went well.” Hayate stated, a note of true satisfaction woven throughout his terror.

Kouga agreed completely.

She debated whether to tell Hayate about her stroke of inspiration, but eventually decided not to. Yet. They didn’t have classes tomorrow, which meant they could find somewhere deserted in Seireitei, thoroughly inspect it to make sure it was actually empty, and then talk about her idea. Just in case. Her panic yesterday had been so high that she hadn’t done so when planning with Hayate, but this time Kouga was still able to think rationally. Which meant taking more precautions to make sure they weren’t overheard, the subject was too sensitive not to. It was a very clear violation of the rules after all.

The entire shielding thing could actually succeed in turning her paranoid if she wasn’t careful.

...Paranoid in a way that would hinder her survival. Kouga was aware that she was always paranoid.

It was why she was still alive.

Hayate let out another exhausted sigh, closing his eyes briefly. Then he shifted so the light from the building next to them illuminated his own scroll and examined it critically. He grimaced. Unlike hers, his had smudged. Not a lot though.

Kouga held out her own scroll towards him. Hayate grabbed it with a grateful look, taking out another piece of charcoal and getting to work on fixing his. Kouga herself hopped onto a higher branch and looked up towards the sky. The little sky she could see between the foliage at least.

There was no moon. There never was.

That had been something she’d had trouble with in the beginning. She still remembered how odd and disturbing it had been to look at the sky at night. How that had been what had finally convinced her this wasn’t her world. Not the fact that she never had to relieve herself or her sixth sense and superhuman abilities. It had been the complete lack of the moon.

But then, if this was the afterlife, she supposed that could explain it as well. She had no clue _why_ there was no moon, but it could have nothing to do with this being Earth or not.

...In fact, how did that even work? Where exactly was she? Physically speaking she meant. If that was even the correct term.

Maybe she didn’t see the moon because she was on it? No, that made no sense. Aside from the fact that would mean everything in this place was both invisible and intangibl–

...Afterlife. Ghosts. Being invisible and intangible was very much a possibility.

Still, this most likely wasn’t the moon. If it was, she should’ve seen the Earth rising instead. And given that she didn’t, Kouga felt confident enough to conclude she wasn’t on the moon. That was one possibility excluded at least.

But it still felt strange to imagine this was a place on Earth. Sort of. Kind of. Connected to it at least. Maybe.

Yet Kouga had been certain this was a completely different world for so long, that the idea this place was connected to Earth was…

–painful–

Ridiculous.

Kouga continued her idle and admittedly silly musings, just trying to loosen all the tension accumulated during Basic Education. She did this until Hayate let out a soft sound. Kouga shifted most of her vision back towards him, leaning down to take the rolled up scroll he was now holding up.

“Want to go practice somewhere else?” he asked as he put his own supplies away. Kouga nodded in agreement. They’d need dirt to write in anyway. Both of them dropped down the ground and started running. Kouga let Hayate lead this time, not truly caring where they’d practice.

But when Hayate led her to the bath houses, she couldn’t help a fleeting smile.

She honestly hadn’t ever expected to find an ally like Hayate. But Kouga was glad she had.

He truly made her life a lot easier.

* * *

 

The next day there were no lessons. Which meant there wasn’t a bell to wake up the students either. So Kouga, who’d been on watch, woke Hayate as the sun started breaching the horizon. When they reached the cafeteria, they decided to eat breakfast there as well, seeing as there were only eight other people present. After finishing breakfast, she and Hayate left, ready to head into Seireitei to practice meditation.

That was the moment Minato arrived.

Kouga had already started running before she remembered the plan. So she halted her mad dash, though she couldn’t bring herself to stop pushing down most of her power, and turned in the direction Hayate had fled.

Minato hadn’t actually entered her own range yet, though she knew he would any moment now. But she and Hayate had a system. When he ran, she knew Minato had arrived. Which meant Kouga ran as well.

Hayate, while having a much smaller general range than herself, was better at sensing Shinigami than she was. The more powerful they were, the sooner he picked up on them.

Hayate was a _lot_ better at this than her.

Hayate’s near blinded presence started moving in her direction as well, having halted his own mad dash, apparently remembering the plan like her. When they met up, she saw he was completely terrified. Kouga understood.

Clenching her jaw, she turned her feet in the direction of the glaringly bright power now impossible not to sense and forced herself to start walking.

She couldn’t bring herself to run. No matter that at this pace it would take several minutes to reach Minato.

Hayate followed in fits and starts, often halting before quickly catching up again, though always without using power. He held his Asauchi in front of him with a death grip, ready to unsheathe it at a moment’s notice. Kouga herself truly focussed on the paradox at the back of her mind, the first time she’d done so since she’d gotten the thing. It made it a little easier to keep moving.

It also helped that Minato had stopped moving after his power had brushed alongside hers. Except not really, because it meant he realized she was walking towards him.

A _reaper_ was _waiting_ for her. A reaper who had _glared_ at her.

Kouga allowed herself to shiver, terror clawing at her mind.

 _Remember the plan_.

Kouga focussed on the absence of nothing that was the Asauchi, the everything that wasn’t anything in the first place. Dreams that were and could never be, every feeling that never existed, a presence that simply wasn’t there except it _was_. She did this until she couldn’t force herself to do so anymore, until she had to focus fully on Minato, the blonde Shinigami much too near.

When she turned the corner of a building and met those blue eyes, Kouga froze.

Minato looked back with an unreadable expression.

Swallowing her too dry throat, she flickered a quick glance towards Hayate, who’d halted right before entering Minato’s sight. Hayate now looked even more terrified, body so tense Kouga wouldn’t be surprised if he ruptured a muscle. Kouga allowed herself to mostly watch him a moment longer. Then she turned her full vision back towards Minato and started walking forward. Slowly. And slowing down more and more the closer she got.

Kouga knew she was acting ridiculous, this wasn’t the first time she’d interacted with Minato. It was, in fact, the nineteenth time.

But this was the first time she’d sought him out herself. Even last time didn’t count, not really. Not when she’d still been reeling from that _living_ –

Kouga brutally shut down that thought. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to remain in control of the urge to run – _run!_ –

 _Remember the plan_.

She finally halted a healthy distance away, every part of her tensed up, power coiled tight and ready to flee. Even this close, the blonde Shinigami’s expression was –terrifyingly– frustratingly unreadable.

When Minato spoke, the suddenness of it almost made Kouga flinch.

“You didn’t run.” he said so very calmly. Kouga kept silent, ensuring her expression remained perfectly blank. Minato gave her that unreadable look a moment longer, eyes flashing with things she couldn’t make out. It was nerve wracking.

He smiled, warm and gentle, those vivid eyes becoming so very soft. Kouga felt herself twitch in response, unable to suppress it. She kept silent.

Hayate hadn’t followed her.

Minato’s smile turned in a small grin, somehow beaming despite it’s size. Stupid Minato.

Kouga took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she was about to do.

“I want to ask a favor.” she managed to say in an even voice. In return, Minato’s brows shot up, the blonde Shinigami looking down at her in astonishment. Swallowing her too dry throat once more, Kouga elaborated. “I want to ask… you have to…” She fell silent, frustrated with the way she couldn’t even manage to say it. This was ridiculous. She could do this. She could.

She didn’t know what the blonde Shinigami’s reaction would be.

Clenching her jaw, Kouga forced herself to say it.

“I want you to scare some people. Badly. As much as you can.” There, she’d said it.

Now how would the blonde Shinigami react?

He reacted by returning to that –terrifyingly– frustratingly unreadable expression.

“...Why?” he finally asked, making a twitch escape her control once more, her tension at an all time high. Kouga hesitated. She… really didn’t want to talk about this. Or, you know, talk to Minato in general.

But she was the one asking for a favor.

“Because it would… help me. A lot.” she admitted with difficulty, becoming even more terrified by giving the blonde Shinigami so much leverage over her.

Minato’s expression remained unreadable a moment longer. Finally, he nodded once.

“Alright, I’ll help you.”

Kouga let out a harsh breath, almost light headed from relief. Then she blinked in confusion, tensing back up as her suspicion shot through the roof.

“What do you want in return?” she warily asked. Because Minato actually understood how things worked and she was asking for a _huge_ favor.

Would the price he demanded be worth it?

Did she have a choice?

The blonde Shinigami raised a brow, opening his mouth as if to speak– and closed it, sighing instead as he closed his eyes and brought up a hand to ruffle his hair. When he looked down at her again, he gave her what almost seemed to be a self-deprecating smile.

“Would you believe me if I said I don’t want anything in return?”

Oh fuck no. Kouga was _not_ going to allow a _reaper_ to hold an unspecified favor over her head. Especially not when she was asking for a huge one herself.

She allowed herself a quick glare, so not in the mood for any of Minato’s strange games. And of course, the blonde Shinigami chuckled in response, his smile growing brighter. Stupid Minato.

“Didn’t think so.” he said, sounding disgustingly cheerful. Kouga kept silent.

Minato chuckled once more, before humming pensively.

“How about this. In return, you don’t run away for… let’s say ten minutes whenever I drop by.”

Kouga hesitated. That was… an enormous thing he was asking. In fact, it was even greater than her own favor, seeing as the blonde Shinigami usually stopped by every three to four days or so. And he hadn’t specified how many times she’d have to stay. Except…

Except Kouga needed time. As much as possible.

“...If you let me choose where to go every time, I’ll stay fifteen.” she finally forced herself to counteroffer. And once again, Minato’s brows shot up in astonishment, wide eyes meeting her own. Kouga barely resisted a grimace.

_Remember the plan._

Minato kept looking completely flabbergasted a moment longer. Then he beamed, shining like the sun. Because of course he did.

“It’s a deal.” he said, sounding _satisfied_.

Kouga flinched. And cursed herself for doing so.

For a moment, Minato’s smile almost seemed to waver. But it didn’t, the blonde Shinigami remaining disgustingly sunny instead. So Kouga resisted another grimace and nodded her own agreement instead. Then she got down to business.

Loosening some of her hold on her power, she started searching the grounds. It wasn’t the same as widening her range, not exactly. Instead, she examined specific areas one by one for any of those fourteen. This meant that that the area she could search was much smaller than what she could sense in her immediate surroundings, but it also meant she could search further away.

Like the cafeteria.

She was in luck, three of those fourteen were there. Though at this distance she couldn’t make out which ones they were, unfortunately.

Pulling her power back, she tilted her head to the side. Because there was no way she was going to turn her back towards a Shinigami of Minato’s power. Not that it would make a difference whether she did so or not. But it made her feel a little better. And when being around Minato, every little thing counted.

Minato gave her a bright grin in return, before stepping forward. He didn’t come too close though, thank fuck.

As soon as she could move without having to turn her back towards him, Kouga started walking towards Hayate. Who still hadn’t moved this entire time.

Kouga understood.

“So who do you want me to scare? And more importantly, what exactly do you mean by scaring?” Minato asked. Kouga hesitated. She… kind of really had to answer that.

But she also _really_ didn’t want to talk to Minato in general. So she kept silent, figuring she could tell the specifics when they arrived at the cafeteria. Except, of course, Minato chuckled and gave her a mischievous smile.

It made dread shoot up high.

“Do you have any questions yourself? Like, say, something about Reiatsu or Shinigami? I’ll answer one for every of mine you answer.”

Kouga scowled. The blonde Shinigami was so very _annoying_.

He always knew how to get her to talk.

“Scare them by showing your power.” she answered curtly, before shooting back a question of her own. “How do students join Divisions?” She’d already asked Obito of course, but she wanted to hear the answer from another source as well.

Minato gave her a much too bemused look in return.

“Technically, they don’t. You have to graduate first.” His utterly useless remark made Kouga allow herself another quick glare. Naturally, Minato grinned in response, his amusement rising even higher.

So very annoying.

“Before graduation, you have to–” he began, before abruptly falling silent as they turned the corner and his eyes landed on a terrified Hayate. Hayate was obviously trying to hide it, but he was also failing. Badly. In fact, he almost looked as bad as the evening after that– after they’d gotten an Asauchi.

“...I’m guessing you’re Hayate?” Minato calmly asked, expression unreadable once more.

Hayate flinched. Then he took a deep breath, pure determination joining the terror screaming from his eyes. He even lifted his chin a near unnoticeable fraction.

Kouga was deeply impressed.

“Yes. I am.” Hayate’s voice was razor sharp. It was almost a _challenge_.

Kouga was astonished, had never ever expected something like this from him. And with sudden clarity, she realized that Hayate…

Hayate was brave. In a way Kouga had never been.

Minato’s face remained inscrutable a moment longer, and Kouga wanted to twitch from the sheer tension running through her. Then Minato smiled, as sunny and cheerful as before.

Hayate flinched again.

“Nice to finally meet you in person. I’ve heard a lot about you from Obito and Rin. Even a little from chibi-chan as well.” Minato said. This time Hayate didn’t flinch. But it was a close call. He did give her a betrayed glance though. Which was uncalled for, she’d only mentioned Hayate twice at most, and never by name. She’d clarify that after Minato was gone though.

Kouga took a fortifying breath, ignoring her own terror. After all, right now it didn’t matter. The plan did.

“Follow me.” she said, making Minato’s eyes turn towards her, the blonde Shinigami once again looking surprised. Though it wasn’t the pure astonishment from before.

Moving before she lost her nerve, Kouga began running towards the cafeteria, going just below Hayate’s top speed. Hayate himself immediately followed, halting his blinding, running alongside her, using her as a barrier against Minato. Who was also running alongside her. Too closely.

Kouga almost flinched. But Minato soon widened the space between them to a more comfortable distance. And while she hated feeling so towards a Shinigami, she couldn’t deny the gratitude she felt for that.

Forcing herself not to speed up, Kouga focussed on the plan, on the fact that she _needed_ to do this.

But just because she needed to do this, didn’t mean she had to like it.

At all.


	15. Serious Talks

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Kouga halted. And twitched violently as Minato did as well, though at least she didn't flinch like Hayate. Then she grimaced briefly as she paid closer attention to who was present. Aside from _those_ people of course.

Rin was there. That… well, it wouldn't complicate things exactly, but Kouga was so tense she had zero patience for putting up with Rin's peculiar behavior as well. Still, she had even less desire to leave. Not in the least because in the time it had taken to get here, another of those fourteen had entered as well. Which meant there were now four of them in closed quarters. That was about the highest concentration she could get outside of Basic Education really. And she wouldn't be able to find any others after she went through with the plan. Not today at least.

Because the moment Minato flared his power, every one of those fourteen would flee the grounds.

No, that wasn't quite true. The three fighters might not leave. In fact, the odds they'd come seek Minato out were pretty high. If they did, it meant she'd be able to make it abundantly clear to _seven_ of those fourteen in one go that she –and Hayate– were off-limits.

"So can I have a little more details on how exactly I'm supposed to… show my power? And to who specifically?" Minato asked with a small grin.

Kouga couldn't understand how he needed to have something so obvious pointed out. But then, Minato was a strange reaper.

"Flare your power. As much as you can." she answered. In return, Minato raised a brow.

"You mean right now?" he asked, bemused. Kouga let out a harsh breath, annoyance rising alongside her tension.

"No, when we enter. After those– I'll tell you when." she amended, realizing Minato wouldn't necessarily know those people. Or, as absurd as it sounded, that he might not immediately recognize them and realize those were the people she needed to scare.

"...Just to make sure I have this straight. You want me to release my Reiatsu when you tell me to. That's it?"

Did he actually expect _more?_ Honestly, flaring his power was overkill, Minato's sheer presence was terrifying enough. As evidenced by the fact two of those four had _dampened their presence_.

Kouga nodded in confirmation, before she took a small step to the side, tilting her chin towards the entrance. Minato chuckled softly as he started moving forward. Kouga followed, and after a momentary hesitation, so did Hayate. When she gave him a quick glance, Kouga saw with some surprise that Hayate had managed to become even more terrified than before. She hadn't thought that possible, but there you go. Yet Hayate didn't run, sticking to plan, eyes burning with resolve. Though the resolve was hard to see through the animalistic terror.

Kouga understood.

When they entered the cafeteria, she saw the black haired woman, the blonde man, the orange haired guy and the man with the eyepatch all immediately looked towards Minato with their full vision. All of them were absolutely tense as well, in a way Kouga hadn't ever seen any of those fourteen be aside from when that _living_ –

But then, this was _Minato_.

She absently noted Rin was sitting alone at a table, reading a book as she slowly ate her breakfast, not even having noticed their entrance. But most of Kouga's focus was on those four people.

She waited until Minato looked down at her with questioningly, the movement drawing those people's attention as well. Kouga met their eyes one by one. She braced herself, mentally preparing, _commanding_ herself not to run.

"Now." she said.

For one eternal moment time seemed to freeze.

Minato _pushed_.

Kouga leaped backwards, almost not consciously registering that the reaper's power wasn't pushing her down –she could _feel_ it bright and blinding so much _too much_ – But she did register it – _it was_ _ **too much!**_ – and because she did, she remembered the plan. So going against all instincts _screaming_ at her to _run_ – _ **run!**_ Couldn't win _never_ win _she had to_ _ **run!**_ – she stood her ground instead and grabbed Hayate's sleeve as he tried to flee past her, halting his momentum. And Hayate…

Hayate crumbled, falling to his knees, body completely limp.

His eyes were _blank_.

Kouga let go of his sleeve, trembles escaping her control, ruthlessly resisting the urge to burst out crying because _the reaper was still pushing_ _ **all**_ _his power!_

Maybe a second had passed.

The reaper stopped pushing his power.

And Kouga _sobbed_ , couldn't suppress it, hysterical relief tearing the sound of her throat, only absently aware of the sound of glass shattering, habitually tracking the fleeing presences. She took a deep breath and _focussed_ , forcing her body and mind back under control.

Three of those four people were gone. Three windows were smashed.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.

The only one of those people remaining was the blonde man. And he looked _murderous_. But it was aimed towards Minato, the blonde man utterly ignoring everyone else. Including the three patrolling Shinigami halting abruptly inside the cafeteria, Kouga flinching at their too fast passage, their sharp eyes taking in the entire room.

Kouga did her best not to start running, heart beating too fast, pure relief conflicting with the sheer terror of having the blonde Shinigami and three – _sharp eyed!_ – reapers present. Because the plan was _working_. And yes, she'd known it would, had been completely certain in fact, but…

But it was _working_.

"...Didn't expect that." Minato's soft statement was too loud in the near silence that had fallen, the remaining twenty-one students, aside from Rin, all looking towards him in instinctive terror, wide-eyed and sickly pale, sweat dripping down. All of them were still desperately gasping for air, violently shaking in their seats. Or, in the case of the two unfortunate enough to have been standing, shivering on the floor. Nine were crying soundless tears.

Kouga understood. Completely.

Minato's gaze turned towards the broken windows, expression disturbed. The three other Shinigami however, well. One of them simply rolled his eyes before leaving as abruptly as he'd come, while the other two were watching Minato, apparently waiting for his next move. One of them looked uncertain, the same reaper who taught Hakuda, while the other was wearing an expression of amusement.

Kouga prepared to tell Minto they could go somewhere else now. Somewhere not so open.

Or not. Because Kouga just sensed one of those fourteen racing towards their location. Still, even though she had to make a statement towards as many of those fourteen as possible, Kouga really didn't want to be out in the open like this. Not when she was already so stressed by Minato's presence. And the two other reapers present. She needed to – _run!_ – move.

The fighters would near certainly follow Minato anyway.

Except…

Kouga hesitated. Which was completely irrational, the plan was still on. And yet…

She quickly glanced towards Hayate slumped beside her. Who hadn't moved in any way, whose eyes were still _blank_. Kouga looked towards him for a moment that felt much longer than it was. Then she clenched her jaw.

 _Remember the plan_.

Returning her full vision back towards Minato, she took a single step closer, making his own gaze turn towards her.

Kouga ignored Rin as the brunette stood up from her chair, starting to make her way towards them, the brunette never looking away from Minato. The blonde Shinigami had apparently shielded Rin from the pressure of his power as well. Though not from the sensation of course.

"We can go now." she told Minato.

Kouga did not fully look towards the guy with the big nose who'd just arrived. Who was looking towards Minato with _hunger_.

She also sensed the man with the pointy teeth approaching, his power so large it was impossible not to recognize it. And the pretty guy who was always with him of course. But it was the man with the pointy teeth who made her suppress the urge to grimace and _run_. Even more.

Yet this was all part of the plan. She could deal with this. She could.

Because it was _working_.

Minato gave her a look with too many emotions, Kouga so not up to figuring them all out. Not wanting to either, it was hard enough just being here. Then Minato started looking back towards the broken windows. But his eyes landed on one of the students still crying silent tears first, and he winced.

"...That might be for the best." he stated softly as the man with the pointy teeth –and the pretty guy– arrived through one of the broken windows.

The man was grinning _much_ too widely, showing nothing but unholy glee. Even without the pointy teeth it would be unsettling.

That was the moment Rin reached them.

"Minato, what did you– _Hayate_." That last came out strangled, Rin immediately rushing past Minato and dropping to her knees in front of Hayate, a hand reaching out–

Kouga wanted to grimace. This wasn't going to end well.

She was right. The moment Rin's hand touched his shoulder, Hayate... reacted _._

Kouga wasn't a monster. So the moment she saw Hayate's eyes were still _blank_ , she channeled power, leaning to the side, grabbing the back of Rin's tunic, jumping backwards, yanking the brunette out of the way as Hayate unsheathed the Asauchi he'd never let go of and swung the blade towards Rin's neck, Kouga getting them both out of range by the time Hayate's Asauchi would have cleaved through the space Rin had been occupying.

Except it didn't. Instead Hayate's Asauchi was blocked by Minato's own Zanpakuto before it ever would've hit Rin, the blonde Shinigami having moved so fast Kouga hadn't even been able to register his passage, the two other reapers appearing besides Hayate with their own naked blades a fraction later.

All three reapers eyes were _cold_.

Hayate whimpered and _ran_.

Kouga couldn't look away from _the reapers whose swords were_ _ **unsheathed!**_

She wanted to follow Hayate's example and run. _So much_.

But _the plan_. The plan that was _working_.

Flickering a quick glance from the corner of her vision towards the guy with the big nose and the man with the pointy teeth, she saw that they were both still watching Minato with _hunger_. But when they noted her attention, they briefly shifted their own gazes to meet her own fully And when they looked at her, it was with both intrigue and acknowledgement.

The intrigue was _awful_ to see, but the acknowledgement wasn't. It was, in fact, excellent.

Because the plan was _working_.

The blonde Shinigami's eyes remained frozen for a moment that seemed to last forever. Then he sighed, closing his eyes and ruffling his hair as he sheathed his blade, shoulders slumping slightly. It made the two other reapers sheathe their swords as well, before the one who'd been amused abruptly flickered away, faster than anything Kouga herself could manage.

The reaper was moving in the same direction as Hayate.

Kouga couldn't stop a flinch from escaping.

"Kouga, _what happened_." Rin's voice was hard and unyielding, a demand that wouldn't take silence for an answer. Yet when Kouga shifted a little more of her focus towards her, she saw that Rin was sickly pale and wide eyed, looking on the verge of… tears.

Wonderful.

Except, well. Rin had almost just died. Kouga knew from experience that always made a person more emotional than they normally would be. In fact, this was one of the very few times she felt like she understood Rin. Completely.

"Reflex." she answered. Because that was what it had been.

Sort of. But Kouga was so not in the mood to explain flashbacks to Rin.

Rin stared. Then she closed her eyes and _sobbed_.

Kouga's desire to flee somehow managed to become even greater.

Minato's soft sigh drew most of her focus back towards him, Kouga tensing up even further as he grimaced, his eyes flickering between her and Rin.

"...You should go after Hayate." Minato finally told her tiredly.

Kouga didn't need to be told twice. She was about to start running–

Kouga hesitated. She looked more fully towards Rin, whose breathing had turned extremely irregular. The brunette wasn't exactly crying, there were no tears. But she was sobbing nonetheless. It made Kouga feel…

Uncomfortable. Very, _very_ uncomfortable.

Still.

"I'll make sure Hayate doesn't hurt you when it happens again." she assured her, certain that wouldn't be difficult to do in most circumstances. She also raised her voice a fraction to make sure Rin heard her over the sound of her tearless sobbing. Judging from the way Rin's head snapped towards her, she had.

So Kouga left.

Hayate was, of course, already gone from her usual range. But by now Kouga was familiar with the peculiar sensation of bend and broken steel that was his presence, which meant she'd probably still be able to find him if she focussed. So she ran in the general direction he had fled, focussed on that feeling and…

There he was.

Hayate was already pretty far away, obviously running at top speed. If she'd tried this even a few moments later, she wouldn't have been able to find him anymore, extreme familiarity with his energy or not.

Adjusting her course slightly as she followed that frantically moving presence along the roofs in Seireitei, Kouga let out a harsh breath, feeling relief gain the upper hand now that she was no longer surrounded by so many immediate threats.

This had gone a _lot_ better than expected.

She caught up with Hayate somewhere in Seireitei, after which she followed him across the roofs at a respectful distance as he continued his mindless running, keeping out of his range.

Kouga was also _deeply_ disturbed by the very brief, _very_ faint flare of power from the same Shinigami who'd followed Hayate from the cafeteria. Not in the least because it was obvious the Shinigmi had _deliberately_ let her know he was still following Hayate. And now Kouga as well of course.

The Shinigami was keeping unnervingly out of range as well. Not just Hayate's –which was a good thing she supposed. Hayate would never be able to calm down if he sensed a reaper following– but her own as well. And when Kouga carefully tried to aim more of her focus towards the Shinigami, widening her range, she was highly disturbed by how she still couldn't sense the reaper beyond a very, _very_ faint awareness there might be something there.

If she hadn't know the Shinigami was following, she wouldn't even have been able to pick up on that. Not as long as the reaper didn't close the distance at least.

This wasn't new knowledge of course, the first few times she'd gone to explore Seireitei there had always been a reaper who'd followed her on the very edge of her sixth sense. When she wasn't being bothered by Minato at least.

And no matter how much she widened her range, the reapers following always _remained_ on that edge. Frighteningly, as long as they stayed far enough away, the Shinigami always felt like they were blinding their own presences as well. Except unlike Kouga, reapers were still capable of using their power when they did that.

 _Terrifying_.

Not to mention that she was absolutely sure the reapers who followed could always sense her much better than she could them. And that they could cross the distance between them faster than she'd ever be able to run.

She'd often given very serious thought to shaking off the reapers following her. She knew she was capable of hiding from them if she acted carefully, especially at the distance they usually followed. But she'd been told this was a "precaution", that as long as she kept following the rules even within Seireitei, she had nothing to fear from the Shinigami that followed her. And that they didn't like it when you hid.

Nothing to fear from Shinigami. Right.

Still, her fear of being sent back to Inuzuri was a little bigger than her fear of Shinigami. As long as they didn't attack at least. So Kouga kept herself under control and didn't shake the reapers off whenever she was being followed.

It was _unbelievably_ difficult not to do so.

Yet after weeks had passed, Kouga –and Hayate as well after their alliance began– had started being able to go into Seireitei _without_ a tail. Most of the time at least. Occasionally they felt a Shinigami follow again, but it wasn't all the time anymore. Or even most of the time.

Both she and Hayate had concluded they must've passed a test of some kind. Probably showed that, yes, they would follow the rules in Seireitei as well, not just in the Academy.

But this was one of the instances where she –well, Hayate– was being followed again, and it was as distressing as always. Though she supposed that given Hayate's state of mind, there was a real possibility he could break the rules. Yet Kouga honestly didn't think that would happen. When it came to things like that, Hayate was exactly like her. He only attacked if he had no other choice, otherwise, he simply fled.

It took a long while before Hayate stopped running, pushed down his presence to _just_ below blinding and started crossing the small forest they were now in on foot. Still running, but no longer at superhuman speeds. After he finally stopped doing that and took shelter in a tree, Kouga installed herself in another tree a respectable distance away. There was no one else present in the immediate vicinity besides Hayate and the Shinigami, and Kouga had broadened her range as much as she could to check.

That action had made Hayate push his presence down even further, completely blinding himself. But he hadn't started running again. Good.

It meant he was beginning to regain rationality.

She kept her attention divided between the incredibly faint presence of Hayate and the somehow so much fainter presence of the Shinigami. It was nerve wrecking. But Kouga kept herself under control and waited.

It took a long time before she felt Hayate's hidden presence move towards her. When Hayate climbed into the tree she was in –without using any power– and sat down one branch lower, Kouga let out a sigh of relief, most of her tension abruptly disappearing.

The Shinigami had left, halting his hiding, the controlled presence quickly moving out of her range, back towards the Academy. Hayate himself hadn't noticed, his power pushed too far down to be able to sense even things like that. Instead, he was clutching his still unsheathed Asauchi, terror present in every line, breathing forcefully kept under control. In fact…

Huh. Hayate was using breathing exercise taught in Meditation.

Smart man.

"...I won."

Kouga almost startled, Hayate's soft and fierce statement completely out of the blue. She shifted her full vision towards him, wondering what had prompted that declaration.

Hayate lifted his head, meeting her gaze. His eyes were still frantic, terrified, but they were also incredulous and…

 _Victorious_.

"I _won_." he repeated, like he couldn't believe it.

And even though Kouga had no idea what he meant by that, no idea why this entire thing had triggered a flashback of this strength, she didn't need to. Not really.

Not when Hayate was from an outer District.

Whatever the reason, Kouga understood that Hayate had managed to defeat some of his personal demons. Even if she didn't get how. Though it was obvious it had something to do with Shinigami.

"You're brave." she told him. Because Hayate really was.

Hayate startled, looking up towards her with wide eyes. Then he looked down at the unsheathed Asauchi still held inside his grip. And slowly, so very slowly…

Hayate smiled.

It was a giddy smile, full of nothing but joy, an expression she'd never seen him make.

"I'm brave." he repeated, so soft it was more of a breath than anything else.

Kouga felt a fleeting smile grow as well, feeling oddly…

Content.

It was a nice feeling.

* * *

 

They spent some time in that small forest,and after they'd thoroughly investigated their surroundings, mentally and physically, to make sure they really were alone, they practiced meditation. In between regular checks of course.

Even though she was pretty sure it was only her imagination, Kouga felt as though she and Hayate sucked at meditation even more than yesterday. Which, if it wasn't just her imagination, was actually kind of impressive.

It was also bad. Very, _very_ bad.

Besides that, they talked a little more about those fourteen. More specifically, about who of the others in their class they could use to redirect attention if one of those fourteen started becoming interested in either her or Hayate. But eventually they left the forest, returning to the Academy to eat lunch on a roof. After that, they started making their way towards Hayate's room, seeing as it was closer than hers. They were planning on practising their writing.

Rin's presence inside Hayate's room shut down that plan.

Kouga shared an uncertain glance with Hayate. She was… pretty certain this had something to do with the incident from this morning.

But did she really want Rin to confront them about it? And Obito as well for that matter, Kouga absently tracking his presence as it slowly made its way towards Hayate's room. Though at his pace it would take him some time to get there. But Kouga didn't like the way his power felt even more restless than usual.

Except Hayate sighed softly, squared his shoulders and continued moving toward the room.

Well. She supposed since it had been him who'd almost killed Rin, he had the right to decide on whether to interact with her or not. So Kouga followed after the briefest of hesitations.

Jumping through the window after Hayate, landing silently on the floor, she watched as Rin startled violently, giving Hayate a hesitant and uncertain look, a fear present Kouga had never seen before. Then Rin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, posture straightening. When she opened her eyes again, she was firm and resolved.

"...Hey Hayate. Kouga-chan." Rin said with a quick glance towards Kouga, before she went back to watching Hayate.

"Rin." Hayate answered, giving her a calculating look, slight tension running through him. Kouga herself simply watched.

Rin hesitated. Then she sighed softly once more. She didn't say anything else. Which was unexpected, normally she was very vocal about whatever she was thinking.

"...Is there a specific reason you're here?" Hayate finally asked in a calm voice, eyes cautious and suspicious. Kouga assumed it was because of Rin's uncharacteristic behavior.

Rin grimaced in response, a lot more despairing than usual. And accompanied by another flash of fear as well. Then she clenched her teeth and smoothed out her expression, becoming determined once more.

"You don't even feel guilty, do you?" she demanded in a pointed voice, before abruptly snapping her jaw shut, looking upset. She clenched her teeth again, deliberately smoothing out her expression once more as she crossed her arms.

Kouga warily watched the way Rin was digging her fingers into her arms. As though to keep herself from doing something she'd regret. What she was preventing herself from doing was a mystery though.

Kouga found that a little unnerving.

"Why should I feel guilty?" Hayate returned, confusion flashing through his eyes. Kouga wondered the same thing too.

His question made Rin let out a harsh breath, fingers digging into her arms even more. Then she stubbornly lifted her chin.

"We need to talk." she declared.

"About what exactly?" Hayate returned, eyes narrowing, posture becoming defensive. Kouga supposed it was a reaction to Rin's own borderline hostility, including his question. It was pretty obvious Rin wanted to talk about this morning after all. Though Kouga didn't understand what part of it she wanted to talk about. Kouga didn't understand why Rin was so upset either. She hadn't been when Kouga had broken her leg, and Hayate hadn't even touched her.

"Talk about how you _almost_ –" Rin cut herself off, taking a deep, calming breath. Which was good, because Kouga had _not_ liked the increase in hostility _at all_. Neither had Hayate, who had shifted his balance to best run away, body language becoming deliberately aggressive in response to his defensiveness.

And yet, Kouga was incredibly surprised to see that he wasn't planning to run. Oh, he was prepared to do so in an instant, but it was more of an _if I'm forced to_ instead of _I'm about to start running right now_.

How unexpected.

"...We need to talk about what happened this morning." Rin continued in a still carefully even voice. Hayate raised a mocking brow in return, defensiveness rising sharply.

"Why the fuck do we need to do that?" he shot back, sharp and biting and very much unwilling. Kouga couldn't blame him. If she'd had a breakdown like that, she wouldn't want to talk about it either.

Rin gave him a long look, expression very carefully blank, managing to hide who knew what kind of feelings with enormous effort. It was a lot more unnerving to see than expected.

Kouga hadn't realized how used she'd gotten to Rin's expressiveness until now.

Finally, Rin closed her eyes. And when she opened them again, the look she gave Hayate was _hurt_.

Kouga was confused, tense, unnerved and _very_ uncomfortable. Why in the world was Rin _hurt?_

Judging by the way Hayate had shifted his balance again and was now leaning a fraction away from Rin, he was feeling the same.

"Because I was really hurt by what you did." Rin said softly. And just… what?

"The fuck? _Why?_ I didn't do anything to you!" Hayate exclaimed, voice a little louder than usual, more uncomfortable than she'd ever seen him be. In fact… was that guilt she saw?

Kouga studied him a little more closely and concluded that yes, yes it was. Why?

...Probably just a reaction to Rin's own behavior. After all, sometimes the brunette made Kouga feel irrational guilt as well.

Rin sighed, bringing up a hand to rub her eyes.

"I know Hayate, I do. Just… listen to what I have to say. Please." she said tiredly as she lowered her hand. Hayate gave her another narrow eyed look in return, on the very edge of glaring, that's how high his discomfort was. After a moment, he shrugged, telling Rin he'd listen.

Rin took another deep breath.

"Alright. This morning you nearly– you could've– you could've killed me. You didn't mean to, I know that, but… But you _could_ have. And that's what hurt me."

Kouga waited for her to continue, but after a moment, it became clear that was all Rin had to say. And what she'd said was just…

"...That's it? Great, can we talk about something else now? I–"

Rin let out a strangled sound, making Hayate snap his jaw shut, cutting off what he'd been about to say.

"That's not– I– You don't–" Rin let out another strangled sound, face twisted in a grimace. Then she grit her teeth. Hard. "Hayate. Would you care if you _had_ killed me?"

"Of course I'd care!" Hayate immediately snapped back in an oddly heated voice, making Kouga tense a little further and Rin's eyes widening with surprise. "I'd be sent back to Sakahone! Do you think I _want_ that? Why the fuck do you think I came to the fucking _reaper_ Academy in the first place!"

Kouga carefully kept her surprise from showing, not moving in the slightest, keeping her energy well away from Rin's and Hayate's, doing all she could to avoid drawing attention, this entire situation much too tense. But also so astonishing to see.

Hayate was _angry_.

She supposed she could understand why, she wouldn't like to be blamed over nothing either. Though if it had been her in his place she'd just be incredibly annoyed. And uncomfortable. And she'd already have left.

But seeing _Hayate_ be _angry_ was just… bizarre. Because Hayate didn't do that.

Except apparently he did. Learn something new every day.

Rin stared, jaw slack. Then she brought up a hand to cover her eyes, tilting back her head.

She laughed. But to Kouga, it sounded like she wanted to cry instead.

She was very glad Rin didn't.

Hayate himself was watching Rin warily now, the flash of unexpected anger gone, cautiousness taking it's place. When Rin fell silent and lowered her head again, hand dropping to her side, she looked at Hayate as though she had never seen him before.

That was when Obito finally reached the room.

"Rin this isn't working, we should do this in the eveni–" Obito said as he opened the door, before abruptly falling silent as his gaze landed on Hayate, dark eyes widening with surprise. Then Obito _glared_. And not with anger, oh no.

Obito was _furious_.

Kouga carefully did _not_ react in _any_ way, keeping her breathing completely soundless, prepared to spring into action instantly. Hayate himself immediately shifted his balance to better be able to defend against Obito, one hand grasping the hilt of his Asauchi.

Rin _flinched_.

"You– Hayate what the hell were you thinking! How could you– to _Rin!_ She could've _died!_ " he actually shouted as he took a step forward and slammed the door shut behind him, energy more wild than she'd ever known it to be.

Kouga almost twitched, wondering what the _fuck_ was wrong with Hayate because _he wasn't running_.

"Fuck off Obito, you weren't even there so you can take your fucking judgement and shove it!" Hayate instead _yelled_ , frantic and frightened and _angry_.

Kouga honestly had no idea how the situation had escalated to this, no matter that she'd just seen it happen with her own eyes. She also didn't understand why Hayate _still wasn't running_.

For a moment, she gave some serious consideration to just taking off on her own. But no, Hayate was an ally, a very good one. She wouldn't abandon him. Yet.

After all, if she did, it wouldn't be as though he'd be in any danger from those two. He didn't need her protection against them. And he could easily flee on his own if either Obito or Rin initiated any form of violence, well before the point where he might accidentally do something that would get him banished or executed.

It was also abundantly clear Obito wasn't an ally any longer. And the odds Rin wasn't either were pretty high as well actually. A shame. A real shame, Kouga feeling more disappointment than expected.

"Judge– You _attacked_ her! You would've _killed_ her if it hadn't been for– Do you even realize that? Do you realize how serious this is?" Obito shouted back with a _snarl_. Even without him moving forward, it was a much too hostile action.

Yet in return, Hayate _bared his teeth_ , his energy turning cutting. It almost made Kouga twitch.

" _Of course I do!_ I _know_ what would've happened, how I would've been punished–"

" _Punished?_ This is about the fact that you could've _killed Rin_ , not–"

" _Will you fucking stop repeating that!_ Fuck, this just– _People die_ , it's what they _do._ Just because you're too retarded to und–"

"This isn't a _joke_ Hayate, it's–"

"Oh that's rich coming from you, you don't even get that _people die_ –"

" _I actually do,_ I get that Rin could've _died_ –"

" _Shut up!_ " Rin's shout did indeed make Obito shut up, whipping his head towards her, while Hayate took a single step back towards the window, muscles coiled to flee. But nothing more.

Seriously, why the _fuck_ wasn't he running?

...If this was because she'd told him he was brave, she and Hayate were going to have a conversation about the differences between bravery and stupidity. A detailed one.

"Rin, he–" Obito began, but Rin cut him off once more.

"Shut up. Just… please Obito, _shut up_. You're not helping." she said as she rubbed her temples, eyes closed in a pained grimace.

Obito shut up. With obvious difficulty, because after giving Rin another surprisingly uncertain look, he returned to glaring at Hayate.

And once again, Hayate _bared his teeth_.

No really, how had the situation turned into this?

After a few _very_ tense moments of silence broken only by the sounds of Obito's and Rin's breathing, Rin let out a harsh sigh and opened her eyes, once more showing that deliberately blank expression, only just managing to mask all the things hiding beneath.

"...Hayate. Would you– would you have cared that you would've killed _me?_ " she asked, voice breaking near the end. What– oh. _Oh_.

In a sudden flash, Kouga understood _why_ Obito and Rin were reacting like this. Why they were so angry – _furious_ – and upset. Not because Hayate had almost killed someone, because he had almost killed _Rin_.

This was about their friend delusion.

Kouga resisted the urge to sigh. She'd known this would happen, had known either she or Hayate –or both– would do something that would count as a betrayal in their minds. Though she would admit, she hadn't been expecting it would be because of this. It's not like she and Hayate hadn't warned them this could happen. A few times actually.

Like yesterday.

"...Honestly, I wouldn't care about anything but being sent back to Sakahone." Hayate finally answered, deliberately speaking in his usual soft tone. And yet, he was still _angry_ , never moving his own glare away from Obito's, even as he answered Rin.

Rin's breath hitched violently, expression crumbling, shoulders tensing–

"You– Hayate, she would be _dead_ –" Obito furiously began and Rin's head immediately snapped towards him.

"Damnit Uchiha, _shut up!_ " she shouted once more. It made Obito flinch, fury momentarily disappearing, hurt taking its place as he gave Rin a betrayed look. Then he winced, regret rising alongside all that as well. Prominently so. Rin herself squeezed her eyes shut, taking very deliberate breaths, obviously searching for control. When she finally found it, it was accompanied by exhaustion

"Obito, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have– But please, _please_ stop being so angry. It's making everything worse." she said _softly_ , a true relief to hear. Kouga also completely agreed with her.

Indignant incredulity briefly joined _all those other_ emotions Obito was practically screaming and he opened his mouth as if to speak–

He let out a hissed breath, closing his eyes as he grit his teeth.

"...I'll watch my words." he said in a deliberately even voice, a surprising amount of hostility disappearing. And oddly enough, his regret remained at full strength. But his energy was still a chaotic mess and his body language was also still so _hostile_.

The calm he tried to show only made it worse.

"Thank you." Rin breathed out. Then she looked back towards Hayate. Who was tense, frightened, confused, _angry_ and still _not running_.

"Hayate… If you… If you wouldn't be send back to Sakahone, would you care? That it was me you'd attacke– would you care if you'd killed me? Or would you feel the same if it happened to a stranger?" Rin asked softly, looking as though she didn't really want to hear the answer.

And Hayate startled, surprised realization flashing through his eyes. Kouga was guessing he'd just figured out the same thing she had. The reason behind this entire disaster.

Hayate gazed towards Rin for several long moments, eyes full of calculation and uncertainty.

"...Yeah, I would care. I like you Rin, you're nice. I wouldn't care if I killed a stranger." he finally answered, making Obito let out an utterly incomprehensible sound, expression pained. Meanwhile, Rin simply gazed at Hayate in return, showing so many emotions it was impossible to name them all. Though Kouga could name the most prominent one. Easily so.

Relieved. Rin was deeply relieved.

There were still a lot more emotions than that though. Among which some of that familiar despair.

"Thank you. That's… that's what I needed to know." she said, before closing her eyes. Then she sighed deeply, shoulders slumping as all previous tension left her body. Which was just… was she _relaxing?_

When Rin opened her eyes again and looked back towards Hayate, her expression was… warm? What in the world? And then Rin _smiled_ , small and hesitant and _genuine_.

Kouga honestly had no idea what was going on anymore, she really didn't. Judging from the bewilderment in Hayate's eyes, he didn't either.

"So." Rin continued, pure determination rising once more. "What do we need to do to make sure this doesn't happen again?"

Kouga was getting tired of all these mood swings. Though she supposed she shouldn't complain right now, Rin was obviously no longer hostile. Obito however…

"What? Rin, you can't just drop this!" he exclaimed, whipping his head towards her, anger returning.

"And I'm not. I'm taking steps to ensure it won't happen again." she retorted, eyes narrowing right back at him as she crossed her arms defensively.

...So Rin was still an ally? That was… an incredible yet very welcome surprise. In fact, Kouga was a little bewildered by just how much relief she was feeling.

"That's not– Rin, accident or not, he could've _killed_ you. Hayate needs to know that is _not_ okay." Obito said, carefully keeping his voice even, posture still so _angry_. But now it was also aimed towards _Rin_ of all people. Rin herself merely narrowed her eyes further, glaring back at him.

"Obito. It's _Hayate_. We know–"

"His past is no excuse and you know it. Damnit, this isn't even about you, not really." It wasn't? "This is about _safety_ , and how the people around him _aren't_ safe–"

"And how do you suggest he unlearns habits learned over a lifetime? Go on, enlighten me."

"I know he can't– look. I'm not saying he should just magically ignore a lifetime of… of reflexes. But he needs to be _aware_ of how dangerous and wrong they are. He needs to be aware he has to be _careful_."

"Which is why we need to talk about what to do to prevent situations like this. _All_ of us, _not_ just Hayate."

"That won't make him understand what he did wrong!"

"It's better than just standing there and accusing him of something he _doesn't get_."

"Which is the entire problem! It's one thing to act in self-defense, something completely different to _swing a sword_ towards someone who _tapped your shoulder_."

"So we need to talk about how to _avoid that happening again_."

Kouga briefly shared an uncertain glance with Hayate as Rin and Obito kept glaring at each other. It was like they'd forgotten she and Hayate were still present.

Well. Forgotten about Hayate at least. Both Obito and Rin had ignored Kouga this entire time.

Not that she was complaining.

Obito and Rin continued their silent battle of wills, both attempting to stare each other down.

Rin won.

Obito finally closed his eyes with a pained grimace, a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. Then he let out a harsh sigh, his grimace turning into a scowl.

"...Fine. Fine. You're right." He opened his eyes, almost glaring towards Rin once more. "But we _also_ need to explain why this is _wrong_. You heard him, he wouldn't even care about killing someone if it didn't mean he'd get send back!"

And this was surprising how?

Rin huffed, her own scowl disappearing, a relieved smile growing instead.

"Did I say we shouldn't explain? No. But let's start with taking precautions against any repeats first, alright?"

Obito sighed deeply, tilting back his head with closed eyes. Then he nodded once.

"Alright, we'll do that first." And with that, both Obito and Rin turned their gazes back towards Hayate. Who shifted his balance in return, highly uncomfortable. And uncertain. So uncertain in fact, that his previous anger had completely disappeared.

Kouga understood. Because did this mean Obito was still an ally after all?

...After hostility like _that?_ Impossible. Right?

Obito took a deep breath, before clearing his throat softly.

"So. Hayate. What do you think you–"

" _We_." Rin interrupted, making Obito give her a genuinely annoyed glance. How bizarre. This entire thing was bizarre in fact, even aside from the sheer hostility. Kouga had never seen Obito get even mildly irritated with Rin.

"What do you think _you_ can do to avoid this, and what can _the people around you_ , not just you and me Rin," he said pointedly with another genuinely annoyed glance towards Rin. "do as well."

And in response, Rin _chuckled_.

It made Obito huff, his lips twitching upwards a fraction as well, his posture abruptly relaxing, even his energy calming down, his body language resigned as nearly all the previous hostility melted away. Both the hostility that had been aimed towards Rin and the hostility that had been aimed towards Hayate.

Kouga would never _ever_ understand those two. Because apparently Obito really was still an ally after all? This was all just...

Unbelievable. Literally unbelievable.

But it was also… nice. That Obito was still an ally she meant, the hostility she could've gladly done without.

Hayate kept quiet as he gazed back towards an expectant Obito and Rin with eyes full of bewilderment. And suspicion.

"...People around me need to _not_ touch me. And stay far enough away. And not fight me. Other than that…" Hayate shrugged, still gazing at them suspiciously. Except now there was also a near unnoticeable spark of…

Hope?

"Alright. And what do you think you yourself can do as well?" Rin asked gently. In return, Hayate shrugged again.

"Okay, but what _exactly_ do you mean by staying far enough away?" Obito continued, expression stern and eyes narrowing a fraction once more. But not enough to be hostile.

"About my length added to how far away you two usually are." he deliberately answered in his usual soft tone. Obito's eyes widened and his posture began turning hostile once more.

Kouga wished he'd make up his mind. The constant switching was incredibly unnerving. And annoying.

"Wait, you mean all this time we've been dangerously close to you?" Obito demanded, incredulous and straddling the edge of true anger once more.

"Of course not." Hayate immediately snapped back, aggressiveness rising in response to the return of Obito's hostility. "If I didn't like how close you are I move further away."

"See, that's something you can do yourself. Making sure the distance between you and others is wide enough." Rin calmly interjected, giving Obito a warning look. Obito himself thinned his lips, taking careful breaths. But he did indeed calm down, hostility disappearing. Again.

Honestly, if he'd taken even one single step forward during all of this, Kouga would've been out of here, Hayate following or not. She was almost getting a headache.

Hayate gave Rin a deeply unimpressed look in return, mocking and aggressive, Obito having raised his defensiveness sharply again.

"I already do that." The _idiot_ at the end was left unsaid. Very loudly too.

Obito snorted, rolling his eyes with familiar exasperation, shoulders slumping in sudden resignation again, bringing up a hand to rub the back of his neck. Meanwhile Rin let out a short laugh. And appeared very surprised by that laughter as well.

"Alright. No touching, no sparring and keeping a healthy distance. What else?" Obito continued, genuinely calm.

Please let him make up his mind already.

"Well we can ask– _Kouga-chan!_ " Rin's startled exclamation, followed by her eyes snapping down towards her, made Kouga want to twitch, the tension that had been fading slightly returning full force. Not in the least because Obito snapped his gaze down towards her as well. But he didn't become hostile, showing nothing but pure astonishment.

"How long have you–"

"–can't believe I forgot–"

"–what am I saying–"

"–I didn't mean–"

"–of course you're here."

"–so sorry for ignoring you."

Their words tumbled together, both of them still lookin down on her. Though Obito now looked fondly exasperated, while Rin appeared apologetic.

Kouga had no idea why Rin was feeling sorry. It's not like Kouga had wanted their attention. She had, in fact, done her best not to draw any. Though she supposed that seeing as Rin and Obito were no longer hostile it wasn't that much of an issue that they were now focussed on her.

Kouga kept quiet.

After a moment, Obito huffed and shook his head, while Rin chuckled softly and gave her a grin.

"Right. So as I was saying, we can– I mean, Kouga-chan, would you be willing to ah… do the same for others as you'd do for us? Well, me? Would you pull them out of the way as well?" Rin asked.

"Yes." Kouga answered. Because she would.

She didn't want to lose Hayate as an ally after all.

...Well. She'd do so in most cases at least.

"Great, so–"

"Wait, _wait_. Kouga, could this happen to you as well? The same as what happened with Hayate and Rin I mean?" Obito demanded with a piercing stare.

Kouga hesitated briefly But if Obito turned hostile again, she could always leave.

"Yes." she answered again. Because while it wouldn't be exactly the same, Kouga did understand Obito was asking about similar situations in general. Though the odds of something like this happening outside of a fight were incredibly small.

It was nice to be powerful. Gave her an insurance of some safety. Which meant people had to attack her before her reflexes really kicked in.

...Maybe she should tell Obito and Rin that as well, because they were looking at her with a _lot_ of despair. Obito much more so than Rin though.

"But unless people attack me, the odds are very small." she continued, making Obito groan softly and bring up a hand to rub his eyes, while Rin gave her a helpless smile.

"Right." Obito muttered as he lowered his hand. "And the no touching and staying far enough away apply to you as well of course." he stated more than asked. Still, Kouga felt compelled to elaborate. She wanted every chance of hostility to disappear.

"Yes. But I don't let people get close enough to touch me. Aside from you two, but you're so slow it's very easy to dodge." she assured them. The thing with Rin's leg had been exception, Kouga had gotten complacent as the brunette had kept missing her. And honestly, in a real fight, she simply would've run the moment Rin had made any aggressive moves towards her. And she wouldn't have allowed Rin so near in the first place either.

She didn't like people standing near enough to touch her.

Though Kouga supposed that Hayate was always within touching distance as well. But unlike Obito and Rin, he had a sense of survival. A healthy one.

"Why thank you." Obito shot back dryly, before he sighed and shook his head again. "So can you pull people out of the way if Kouga-chan attacks?" he asked Hayate as he turned his gaze back towards him.

"No fucking way." Hayate immediately retorted. Well that was rude. And stupid. Hayate would lose his best ally if he didn't step in after all.

"What? Why not?" Obito demanded with narrowed eyes once more, making Hayate tense back up. And this time it looked like Rin wouldn't interfere either, expression extremely disapproving as she looked towards Hayate. It made Hayate turn even more uncomfortable.

"I am _never_ getting in Kouga's way. Besides, she'd probably be too fast for me anyway." he answered. And, well, he had a point. Kouga's instinctive flares of power were a _lot_ higher than Hayate's. Especially in life or death situations. Or during breakdowns she supposed.

Oh well. It's not like Kouga hadn't been aware she had to constantly watch her every move here anyway. Or that she hadn't been doing so already.

Obito groaned, Rin snorted.

"Fine. But can you make sure no one gets close enough to… to trigger a reflex in the first place?" Obito almost ordered Hayate instead of asking, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Now _that_ would be extremely helpful. Kouga gave Hayate a questioning glance, asking if he'd do this favor for her. He gave her a calculating look in return, pointedly ignoring Obito. Who honestly didn't react to it.

But then, Obito could be oblivious about the strangest things.

"...Only if you do the same for me." Hayate counteroffered.

"Deal." Kouga agreed. It was better to do that instead of pulling people out of the way _after_ they'd already gotten too close to Hayate anyway. Minimized the risk of losing him as an ally.

Not that she thought either she or Hayate would have to do so often. The circumstances that had resulted in this morning's incident were exceptional after all.

"Great, this all sounds like an _excellent_ plan." Rin said with a genuine smile, radiating relief.

"Guess that's the best we can get." Obito mumbled, before he sighed and brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck again. "I'm still not happy with this though. Things can go horribly wrong _way_ too easy. Not just with us either. At least we know to keep some distance, but what about anyone else?"

"Stop being so cynical, it doesn't suit you. And besides, it's only for half a year. Apparently we'll all be trained enough to survive incidents like this by then." Rin said with a wry grin. Where had she learned that information from?

"Six months can be a long time." Obito retorted. But he seemed more resigned than anything else.

"And this is the first time something like this happened in the near _three_ months we've known them. It'll be fine Obito, we just need to be careful." Rin said in a soothing voice. Obito let out another tired sigh in return. Then he nodded sharply.

"Right then. We can do this. It'll be fine." Then he gave Hayate another narrowed eyed look, making Hayate shift his balance a fraction. "Which means it's time to explain why killing someone when _not_ in self-defense is _wrong_."

"You're acting like I don't know that. This might come as a shock to you, but I don't _want_ to kill people." Hayate retorted as dry as dust, giving Obito an extremely mocking look, annoyance rising sharply. Obito merely rolled his eyes in return.

"That's not what I mean. And of course I know that, you think I'd be your friend if I didn't?"

Kouga resisted the urge to roll her eyes as well. Again with the friend delusion. This was getting really old.

"We're not friends." she said, figuring she should give it another shot. But of course Obito waved her words away.

"Allies, friends, whatever." he said dismissively. Well, Kouga had tried. "The point is– no, that's not going to work. Alright, Hayate, tell me. If you didn't get in trouble in any way, would you feel guilty about killing someone?"

Hayate shrugged.

"Not really. I wouldn't like it and I'd regret it had happened, but why the fuck should I care beyond that?" he answered in a deliberately bored voice, eyes sharp and full of calculation. Kouga actually wasn't that sure what his wariness was for. Maybe for Obito's and Rin's reactions?

Yet Kouga saw with relief that Obito and Rin shared a very familiar glance, the one that meant they thought Hayate was acting insane. This she could handle.

The sight made Hayate relax as well, his tension almost completely fading. He also looked…oddly happy as well. Almost as much as whenever he ate a candy.

After letting out another sigh, Obito returned his gaze towards Hayate, full of resolve and determination.

"Okay, it's like this. When people kill another person, they feel guilty because they've just taken that person from all the loved ones they had. They ended their hopes and dreams and–"

Kouga quietly listened as Obito began explaining in detail why he thought they should feel guilty when killing another person. She supposed it was understandable on an intellectual level. Everyone could be someone's mothe– friend after all.

But really, why should she care about a stranger? Their dreams and hopes and all that didn't impact her, and neither did their loved ones. Unless they came after her for revenge she supposed.

Still, Kouga figured it would be best to just listen for now. It seemed as though Obito really needed to get this off his chest. And because he was –so very unexpectedly– still an ally, she supposed it wasn't too much of a hardship to remain until he was done. Judging from Hayate's silence and deliberately calm expression, he'd come to the same conclusion as well.

Rin however, was giving Obito a warm look. The fondness in her eyes only became stronger when she glanced towards Kouga and Hayate. She also gave them another wry smile. At least Rin seemed to understand how very uncaring Kouga and Hayate were about this entire lecture.

But Kouga would admit, if she had to choose between listening to this and losing Obito as an ally, she would choose this. After all, both Obito and Rin in general were very useful to her.

It would be a shame to give that up.

 


	16. Interlude 2

**Yamamoto’s Regret**

"But if you do not, if you treat it like a mere weapon, if you treat it without respect... _You will fail_." Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni let go of the fire the barest bit. A harmless flash, nothing more than an enforcement his command, before he pulled back the flames and let his gaze relax.

“And now, it’s time for what you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time to get an Asauchi.” Nimaiya declared with a cheerful grin. It made all students startle and turn their gazes towards him. All except two.

Yamamoto did not meet the eyes of the small child or the girl who were frozen in terror. Who were looking at him as though he was a monster.

They were not wrong.

“So, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to creepily stare at you, and then I’ll gift you an Asauchi! Keep quiet while I do, it takes a lot of concentration to stare with the necessary level of creepiness. Shifting uncomfortably is allowed though, go wild.” Nimaiya continued, as always putting the students off balance.

Yet no one spoke. No one would.

Not as long as Yamamoto was here.

Nimaiya’s Reiatsu had already started spreading out, a touch so delicate it was only Yamamoto’s long experience with this ritual which allowed him to detect even a hint of it.

Nimaiya did not need to use Reiatsu to find which of the thousands of Asauchi he had brought along would suit these students best, not when all but two had Reiryoku so wild and untamed. He did not need to “creepily stare” either, a mere glance was all he required at most.

But the God of the Sword enjoyed acting like a fool.

“Hmm.” Nimaiya hummed pensively as he gave an unnecessarily intense look to the first student. Nimaiya deliberately scraped his own Reiatsu against the boy’s uncontrolled Reiryoku. In return, the boy shifted in a very uncomfortable manner indeed.

As he did, Nimaiya grinned in satisfaction, as always immaturely pleased with such a reaction. He turned towards the screen separating this dojo from the next and slipped inside, the shielding so strong Yamamoto could sense nothing at all, even with the brief opening. Nimaiya returned but a moment later, the conflicting not-presence inside his hands feeling no different than any other Asauchi ever did.

Not to Yamamoto’s senses at least.

Moving towards the boy, Nimaiya handed it over with a flourish. But as the boy grasped that chance, the God of the Sword gave him a too sharp look, the act of fool falling away, a threat as great as Yamamoto himself.

It made the boy _still_.

“Remember the Captain-Commander’s warning.” the God of the Sword commanded, as cutting as the blade he called a failure.

The boy swallowed, the sound too loud in this silence, his eyes too wide. He nodded slowly in return.

Immediately, Nimaiya grinned and pulled back, deceptively soft once more. As he did, the boy looked down at the Asauchi with awe and delight.

And as always, Yamamoto could not help but remember when he had been gifted that same chance. Remember the time before order, before Yhwach, before even the Academy.

Remember the time before Ryuujin Jakka.

It had been so long ago, yet Yamamoto remembered those first centuries with more clarity than all the ones that came after.

He remembered blood.

He remembered pain.

He remembered…

_Screams and laughter and torture and death_

Ryuujin Jakka’s voice was not unexpected. It never was.

_Despair and agony and_ **_rage_ **

Yamamoto let his Zanpakuto’s words sear his mind, let the flames that were always present scorch his soul, a scalding torment as familiar as the beating of his heart.

As the God of the Sword continued his ritual, as each student was gifted the chance all Shinigami had once been given, Yamamoto burned.

_Burn them, burn everything, burn all, burn, burn,_ **_burn!_ **

Yamamoto watched these students, these children. He watched their innocence. And he burned.

_Burn until we are nothing but ash ourselves_

Yet he did not allow Ryuujin Jakka to break free. He never did.

Not anymore.

In return, Ryuujin Jakka screamed and raged and _blazed_. An endless inferno, born from the desire to hurt the world as Yamamoto himself had been hurt, born from a wrath that could never be appeased. Flames that could only be caged, never extinguished.

Yamamoto burned.

Nothing else did.

Because two children looked at him and saw the monster he was.

Yamamoto remembered when _all_ children had known.

Was this not better? Was their innocence not worth protecting?

Was the price of ignorance not worth the peace it brought?

Yamamoto knew it was. But when he looked at the children who saw the monster he always would be, he felt regret. Regret for what needed to be done. Regret he could not save them all.

So Yamamoto burned. He let Ryuujin Jakka blacken his bones, boil his blood, let his spirit howl with the eternal pain and fury Yamamoto never managed to let go. No matter how much he wished he could.

No matter how much he tried.

It was not until the God of the Sword finished his ritual, as he gifted the last student the chance all Shinigami had once been given, that Yamamoto pulled himself away from the fire. Away from the memories and rage, from Ryuujin Jakka’s endless screams.

Yet still he burned. He always did.

“That’s it. Now, I’d like to strongly suggest you not talk about what went on in here until all the students have gotten their Asauchi, it’s much more fun that way. And above all, remember to treat your Asauchi like it’s the most important thing in the world.” Nimaiya’s grin dropped, becoming too dangerous once more, every pretense falling away.

“Because it is.” The God of the Sword’s decree made all students straighten. All but the two who knew who Yamamoto was.

And there was one other who didn’t straighten, the girl who simply kept hugging the small child. The girl who found her friend more important than Nimaiya, more important than Yamamoto himself.

The girl who wished to protect.

As Nimaiya finished his ritual, he moved forward and slid open the door.

“Thank you for your attention. Now scram.” he ordered cheerfully, once more fully enjoying acting the fool. Slowly, the students started moving, started leaving.

All but the two who knew what Yamamoto was.

“Leave.” he ordered, so softly only those two heard. And they did. Fleeing with all the power they possessed, with the raw desperation only mindless terror could inspire.

The girl who wished to protect straightened, looking in the direction the small child had fled. Then she turned her gaze towards Yamamoto.

She _glared_.

And for one single moment, he did not see a girl. Instead, he saw a foolish boy protecting a friend. A friend who did not need his protection.

But Shunsui had not cared about that. He never did.

The girl who wished to protect left, the last to do so, her anger already fading, worry returning instead.

Nimaiya chuckled softly.

“Kids these days.” he said, a speculative glint in his eyes as he watched the girl’s Asauchi a moment longer. An artist, wondering what shape his work would take.

It was the same look he had given when he had gifted Yamamoto what would become Ryuujin Jakka. Sometimes Yamamoto wondered whether Nimaiya had known what would be born from that action. Sometimes he wondered whether that was the reason the God of the Sword had done so in the first place.

Because Yamamoto burned.

Not so long ago, the world had as well.

Yet as Yamamoto looked outside towards the students, these children, as he heard their laughter, saw their happiness and joy… Even with Ryuujin Jakka’s endless screams, even with the eternal need to burn, burn them, burn everything,

_Burn_ **_all_ **

Yamamoto felt at peace.

* * *

 

**Rin’s Worry**

Nohara Rin was exhausted. Which, given that she’d just finished crying her heart out, was a perfectly normal reaction.

“Feeling better?” Obito asked, still looking worried. They’d relocated to a secluded spot in one of the gardens after Kouga-chan had left, Rin so not in the mood for any more wisecracks from Shisui. Or even Minato’s well meaning, but ultimately pointless reassurances.

She managed to give Obito a small smile and tried to ignore the slight headache she’d gained.

“Kind of.” she answered, not exactly truthful. She still felt awful. But the edge had been taken off, now it was more of a bruise instead of a cut. A pain still present, but no longer quite so sharp.

Rin sighed and closed her eyes. The thing was, she was overreacting. She knew she was. She just couldn’t help it, she’d always been an emotional person. And in this particular case…

It had been so worrying, so frightening, to see Kouga-chan react like that. She’d even been shaking. And when Rin hadn’t been able to stop herself from laying a hand on her shoulder, Kouga-chan _hadn’t pulled away_.

Rin had been able to _hug_ her.

With that, her worry had turned to freaking out. And after they’d been told to leave, Kouga-chan had just… run away. A blur Rin had no hope of ever catching.

So yes, she’d already been freaking out. And _then_ Hayate had run as well, warning or not. Because there was no way Rin was going to listen to that “strong suggestion”. Not when it came to her friends and especially not when it came to Kouga-chan or Hayate.

Though she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable just thinking that, even if it hadn’t been the Soutaichou who’d said it. No, it had been said by the other Shinigami, the one who’d never introduced himself. The one who’d kept switching between cheerful and threatening in an incredibly unnerving way. As if the Soutaichou’s own presence hadn’t been formidable enough already.

Rin knew it was irrational, but the entire time she’d been seated there, she’d been absolutely certain she’d been sitting in front of a bonfire. One that made the ones her village made for the new year’s celebrations look like a dying candle. It had been…

Intimidating.

It had been what she’d been expecting Shinigami to be like before she came here. Well, not like that specifically, but after growing up with stories of the Shinigami’s magic, Rin had been expecting the Shinigami to be… more. Instead, they were simply human. Humans with magical powers, true, but still just human.

The Soutaichou hadn’t been. No, when Rin thought back what should’ve been an old man, she couldn’t shake of the absolute certainty that the Soutaichou had been… he was...

Fire. Unending fire.

She’d still glared at him. Because he had terrified Kouga-chan more than Rin had ever seen her be.

And Rin had been freaking out. So much. The irrational certainty that there was an endless inferno present hadn’t been helping.

...She couldn’t believe she’d glared at _the Soutaichou_.

After that, she’d left the dojo, had returned to Obito and Hayate and had explained what would happen, no matter the voice inside her telling her what a monumentally stupid idea it was to go against the orders of what had seemed to be the first _real_ Shinigami she’d seen since getting here. The kind her parents had told stories of.

Yet her warning hadn’t made any difference. Hayate had still run, just as desperately as Kouga-chan. So of course Rin’s freaking out had turned to pure panic. Not in the least because she literally had no way of finding Hayate when he didn’t want to be found. Aside from waiting in his or Kouga-chan’s room, but even then he– they, only appeared if they wanted to.

And there was nothing she could do about that.

So. Panic. That panic had only started fading slightly after Minato had dropped by and said he’d go find Kouga-chan. Minato could basically find Kouga-chan everywhere after all. But he said that was because he was familiar with her energy signature. He wasn’t familiar with Hayate’s, had never even met him in person. But Rin trusted Hayate would be alright. She did. Really, she did. He was a grown man in actual years, had survived horrible things, so she knew he would be alright. She was sure of it.

And while the same was true for Kouga-chan, it was always so much harder to remember that. Because Kouga-chan was… she was just so _small_.

Because of that, when Minato had actually returned with Kouga-chan, the rush of relief she’d felt had been overwhelming. So Rin had burst out crying. Not in the least because while she’d no longer been freaking out quite so much, she’d still been incredibly worried. And Kouga-chan’s reaction had made it so much worse, acting as though nothing had happened, no explanation given, then just _leaving_.

But the worst part was how it _hadn’t_ been unexpected.

Sighing once more, she opened her eyes and sat up straight. And felt a little uncomfortable when she saw Obito’s blush, but Rin firmly pushed those feelings away. They’d already had the awkward conversation where she’d told him she only saw him as a friend, and where Obito had nervously babbled that he got that and yeah, he was crushing on her, but it wasn’t in spite of being her friend it was _because_ of it, and he wasn’t her friend because he hoped she’d fall in love with him, though admittedly that would be nice, but because he just wanted to be her friend because he liked her, and not just in an infatuated way, but because he just liked her, and seriously Rin-chan, don’t feel guilty and please, _please_ don’t stop being his friend.

Rin felt a smile grow just from recalling it. It made Obito smile back, but it was an uncertain one. A worried one.

He was a great friend. And she’d been a lousy one in return. He’d been there for her this entire time as she was freaking out, trying to comfort her. When she knew he must’ve been so worried as well.

“How are _you_ feeling Obito?” she asked gently. He gave her a grin in return. One not quite as bright as his usual ones.

“I’m fine.” he told her. Rin gave him a wry, pointedly disbelieving look. She hadn’t believed it when Kouga-chan had said it, and she didn’t believe it now.

It made Obito sigh deeply, closing his eyes as his shoulders slumped.

“Okay, maybe I’m not fine.” he said, suddenly sounding as exhausted as Rin felt.

Yes, she’d been a very lousy friend.

Rin lifted a hand to lay on his shoulder, giving him a compassionate look as he opened his eyes again, still looking tired. But he did give her a very small smile in return. And then he groaned loudly, closing his eyes once more and tilting back his head.

“Why did we adopt such troublesome kids?” he asked, completely exasperated. It startled a laugh from her, and judging from Obito’s pleased look, that had been his goal. Rin felt a helpless grin grow, in complete agreement with that statement.

“I blame you.” she teased back. Obito snorted softly, eyes still closed. But he didn’t deny it.

Lowering her hand, she leaned back on the bench as well, looking up at the stars that were beginning to appear.

The thing was, she and Obito really had adopted Hayate and Kouga-chan. It had been about a month ago, after another one of Hayate’s unbelievably horrifying anecdotes about _life in an outer District_. So after both Hayate and Kouga had disappeared for the day as always, she and Obito had gone to one of the nearby bars off-campus.

They had gotten wasted. Not tipsy, not pleasantly buzzed. Completely and utterly _wasted_. All the while lamenting about both Hayate and Kouga-chan, whose reaction to Hayate’s story of almost _losing his balance in spilled brains_ as he _bashed another person’s skull in,_ had been _approval_.

So yes, she and Obito had gotten roaring drunk, bemoaning not just that incident, but all the ones that had come before. Because really, those two were just…

The only way Rin could deal with the fact those two were– that they’d both been forced to kill in self-defense _far_ too many times, was by reminding herself very hard she had no right to judge. At all. And by occasionally getting drunk.

But that particular discussion between her and Obito, had led to the drunken epiphany that they had _adopted_ those two as their kids. The worst part? After she’d finally sobered up, Rin still hadn’t been able to deny it. Because even though Hayate was a grown man in actual years, even though Kouga-chan acted unnervingly mature in some ways…

In so many other ways those two were exactly like children. Both of them had such a strange… innocence. They were confused by the smallest things, had so much trouble with understanding how– _why_ things worked the way they did, why _people_ acted like they did.

They were also unbelievably paranoid. In a way that wasn’t childish in the slightest. In the time she’d known them, Rin had never seen them not move in a position from where they could best observe everything happening around them. A position with multiple escape routes, though it had taken a little longer to figure that one out. What counted as an escape route to those two were not only ways she’d never thought of, but which required Reiatsu to use. That was without mentioning how _quiet_ those two were, how they never seemed to make a sound when walking, how even when raising their voices they still spoke so _softly_.

And they _never_ let anyone but themselves stand close behind their back. Not even Obito or herself. And yes, Rin did understand why intellectually, after all the horror stories from Hayate, and even a few from Kouga-chan as well, she got that the places they came from were... incomparable to anything she’d ever experienced.

But that meant those two were at a complete loss on how to function in a normal world. Spirits, Kouga-chan slept on a pile of blankets! And she and Hayate always slept in the same room, to ensure one of them was always awake. Just in case someone _attacked_. Because that was completely normal to those two.

So she and Obito tried to help them adjust. Tried to explain rules, behavior, common sense, worded in a way that those two would understand. In a way that would make them able to deal with it.

She and Obito tried to explain things Rin had always taken for granted until she saw their reaction. She’d even started looking at _food_ differently. Rin had been overwhelmed at first by the sheer variety available here, bewildered when she’d realized there was so much of it people in Seireitei _actually threw it away_.

Yet she remembered the _look_ Kouga-chan had given the day she’d met her, after Rin had told her she’d finished her meal. Remembered the utter incomprehension and pure horror, the way she had looked at Rin as though she was a monster.

There had been three small pieces of noodles and one soybean left in her bowl. That’s it, nothing else. But the way Kouga-chan had _looked_ at her…

Rin now always made sure she finished _every_ speck of food.

The truth was, the longer she’d been around Hayate and Kouga-chan, the more protective of them she’d become. Though she would admit, in the beginning it had mostly been because Obito liked Kouga-chan so much. But after Hayate had joined, after she’d started getting a better picture of just what kind of place they came from, it had also been from pity. After the things Hayate had spoken of, Rin hadn’t been able to help it.

Though when she’d told Obito that, he’d given her such a lashing, disguised as a speech, that she’d quickly forced herself to push that emotion away. Because Obito was right. She didn’t have _any_ right to pity them.

But compassion was allowed. So was protectiveness.

And Obito was just as protective of those two as she was. As evidenced not just by that particular speech, but one of the few times she’d seen him well and truly pissed, had been after Raidou had said Hayate was a weird asshole. And while Rin understood why Raidou had said that, given that Hayate had said some really rude and insulting things just a few moments before, after which he and Kouga-chan had disappeared for the day as always, she’d felt her temper flare with an intensity that was surprising. Even for her.

But before she’d been able to say one word, Obito had ripped Raidou a new one, the effect even greater than if she would have done it. Unlike herself, Obito wasn’t hot tempered. Afterwards, he’d apologized for the way he’d snapped. But not for the message itself.

So yes, both she and Obito had adopted Hayate and Kouga-chan.

And Rin knew their other friends didn’t understand why she and Obito kept hanging out with them. Even understood why. The times they’d tried to reach out, or even just have a casual conversation, those two always clammed up and drove them off. Hayate with cutting insults and screaming hostility with his attitude, while Kouga-chan did it by keeping unnervingly silent and radiating utter disinterest in their very presence. Rin honestly understood why her other friends didn’t get it.

Because they didn’t see the brief but bright smiles Kouga-chan sometimes made. The way she wasn’t disinterested, just quiet. How she always paid careful attention to what was going on around her, how she would slip into a conversation as though she’d been participating in it all along and just now felt like speaking out loud.

They didn’t know Hayate’s sense of humor, his sharp wit, softer than the cutting remarks he made to chase others away. The way he delighted in putting her and Obito off balance, the _teasing_.

They’d never seen Kouga-chan’s peaceful expression as she took a bath, hadn’t seen Hayate’s astonishment and pure wonder as he’d tasted a candy for the first time. Those two didn’t _let_ them see that. Sometimes Rin wondered why they let her and Obito see it. Why they’d reached out to them with friendship when they shut out _everyone_ else.

The truth was, those two didn’t need her and Obito. Didn’t even need each other. They were hard in a way Rin desperately hoped she’d never become, had survived horrors she could barely imagine, let alone understand.

But in so many other ways, they were nothing more than children.

And she and Obito had _adopted_ them. The thought made Rin smile, and she couldn’t help but wonder is this was what her own parents had felt when they’d taken her in. She couldn’t help but wonder if they would’ve approved. But that was a silly question, Rin knew they would’ve. Yet she would give anything to hear them say so.

She would give anything for them to still be here.

Obito’s sigh pulled her from her thoughts, and she turned her gaze back towards him, seeing him grimace.

“I shouldn’t have glared at her.” he muttered softly, not really aimed towards her. But Rin answered anyway.

“You didn’t do anything wrong Obito. You were worried, and a little angry too.”

To be honest, Rin was a little angry as well. Yes, she understood that Kouga-chan had Issues, and she supposed she should be grateful Kouga-chan had even shown up at all. Unlike Hayate. But no, Rin was wrung out and worried and _pissed_. Really, was it too much to ask for some real assurance, or even an explanation instead of constantly repeating _I’m fine?_

“Maybe. But I shouldn’t have glared with Itachi and the others there. Not when she’s… She’s Kouga-chan.” he said. And it made Rin sigh deeply herself, anger fading, only exhaustion remaining. Because that summed it up perfectly, now didn’t it? Both Hayate and Kouga-chan were…

Rin closed her eyes briefly.

Issues. Those two were giant heaps of Issues.

“We really should’ve seen this coming.” Obito said. As Rin opened her eyes again, she saw him give her a wry and slightly despairing smile. She gave back the exact same smile. Because yes, they should have. Not because Kouga-chan and Hayate had started freezing up when those other people had blurred away, though that had been a clear warning sign as well, but because of the simple fact that they would be given their Zanpakuto by a high ranking Shinigami. Oh sure, Rin hadn’t known it would be the Soutaichou himself, but it had become very clear from the conversations around them that it was someone important.

And Hayate and Kouga-chan were _terrified_ of Shinigami. The higher up they were, the more those two freaked out. As evidenced by the fact that every time Minato came by, those two scattered.

Every. Time.

And even though those two never really talked about why that was, sometimes Hayate said things that… made Rin very uncomfortable with all their implications.

She hadn’t known people in the lower Districts weren’t allowed to cross borders. And when she thought of the fact that it was _Shinigami_ who enforced that…

It was a very disturbing thought.

She’d always been told Shinigami kept her home safe.

To be honest, Rin hadn’t actually expected Kouga-chan to return with Minato. But she’d needed the assurance that Kouga-chan had been… not fine, but at least a little alright.

Except actually seeing Kouga-chan had somehow made her worry even worse. And after Kouga-chan had left, Rin hadn’t been able to stop herself from getting pissed. Because clearly her emotions hadn’t been overwhelming enough already.

Not helped by the fact she knew she wouldn’t be seeing Hayate today, even if she and Obito were to wait in both his and Kouga-chan’s rooms the entire night.

She just hoped he’d show up tomorrow. That he’d be alright.

For a definition of alright at least.

But no, he would be fine. He would be. He was a grown man who could take care of himself. Better than she could probably. And Kouga-chan had been… well, not _fine_ , but… she’d been okay at least. Hayate would be as well. Of course he would be.

“I _really_ wish we could go get drunk.” Obito’s exaggerated declaration startled another laugh from her. And also complete agreement. Sometimes the only way to deal with Hayate and Kouga-chan was by getting drunk. Though seeing as she didn’t have any kind of income anymore, that wasn’t something she did often. And while Obito often offered to pay, Rin didn’t feel comfortable with that. Not when she wouldn’t be able to pay him back for quite some time.

“So much.” she agreed, making her voice just as fierce. It made Obito grin, one that finally looked real. But his shoulders were still slumped.

She was being a lousy friend again, lost in her own thoughts instead of helping him work through his own worry. Like he’d done for her. No more, she was determined to help him relax as well.

“Stupid classes.” he continued with a glance towards her.

“You don’t mean that.” she shot back, giving him a playful smile.

“I don’t mean that.” he immediately agreed with another grin. “I do wish we could go out and get drunk though.” he said, mostly joking. Mostly.

“Actually, on second thought, moaning about our accidental adoption doesn’t really appeal to me right now.” she teased back.

“Then what does? Because wow, I could really use something to get my mind off this.”

“We could go find Mabui or one of the others. And squeal about our Zanpakuto, something we haven’t done yet.” she suggested with a grin. Obito hummed softly, his own grin turning into a pleased smile.

“Sounds like a plan. And if nothing else, we can gossip about the new issue of Seireitei Monthly.” he said.

“Exactly. Or, worst comes to worst, we can play cards.” she answered with a mischievous smile. Obito immediately gave her a dirty look in return, grinning slightly.

“I’m not going to fall for that again. I like my money right where it is.”

“Not my fault you have such awful luck.” Rin shot back, deliberately giving him an arrogant look. Because really, as long as he couldn’t prove it, she wasn’t cheating.

Her reaction made Obito chuckle, his tension finally gone completely.

She was glad she’d been able to help him, even if it was only a little. Even if it was just by acting silly.

“Alright, let’s go.” he said, and heaved himself upright, picking up his Zanpakuto from where it had been leaning against the bench. Rin followed his example. They started walking towards the dorms, and after a moment, Obito brought up his Zanpakuto in front of him. And slowly, a grin started to appear, growing wider and wider.

“We’re really Shinigami now.” he said, so very giddy.

“Technically we aren’t. We’re still students.” Rin quipped just to be contrary. It made Obito scoff, never looking away from his Zanpakuto.

“We have a Zanpakuto. We’re Shinigami.” he declared, still grinning like mad, eyes shining brightly, even in this darkness. Rin chuckled and held up her own Zanpakuto.

“I guess we are.” she agreed, beginning to feel giddy as well. She’d been so distracted by everything going on that it hadn’t really sunk in that they had a _Zanpakuto_. Even with the uncomfortable implications about Shinigami lurking at the back of her mind, that was just… That was just _awesome_.

Obito bumped his shoulder against hers, his grin somehow growing even bigger as he looked towards her.

“This is going to be _awesome_.” he proclaimed. Rin laughed and gave him just as big a grin back. Because yes, this was going to be _awesome_.

How could it be anything else?

* * *

 

**Zabuza’s Boredom**

Zabuza was bored. So very bored.

He’d known he would be ever since they’d learned about The Rules, but that didn’t change the facts.

And the fact was, Zabuza was _bored_. Sure, he got a daily dosis of “fighting”, but because of The Rules he hadn’t been able to let loose ever since they’d gotten here.

Everyone was just so fucking breakable. Hell, when he’d punched Jinin at full power, the asshole actually had the nerve to fall unconscious! Even worse, a few ribs had broken, and because of _The Rules_ , Zabuza had been forced to _stop fighting_.

But the absolute worst part? Zabuza knew that if it wasn’t for _The Rules_ , he could’ve been having not just decent fights, but _glorious_ ones.

Fights with no holding back, not _able_ to hold back. Fighting to survive, to live, to _feel_.

Feel _alive_.

Zabuza missed their District.

But he would grit his teeth and bear it. Because even though he was bored out of his skull now... he wouldn’t always be. The Rules were only for “students”, not for Shinigami. And when Zabuza finally became one…

Oh, he was going to have so much _fun_.

That was what kept him going. Why he didn’t just say fuck it and return home. That, and the fact that even though everyone here was still fucking breakable, they were also much less so than practically everyone he’d ever met. Who wasn’t a Shinigami at least. And sure, near everyone here was prey as well, no challenge whatsoever. But that didn’t change their sheer potential. If they actually learned to _fight_ …

Zabuza felt a shiver of pure pleasure run through him.

Because these prey _would_ learn to fight, this was the fucking Shinigami Academy after all. And speaking of Shinigami, that was another reason to stay. There were just so many. It made Zabuza feel all warm and fuzzy.

Shinigami were the best fights of them all, they really were. Sure, he had to make sure he didn’t kill them, that made them stop playing around like nothing else did. But as long as he didn’t cross that line?

The most glorious fights of them all. Whenever he’d managed to find a suitable Shinigami, one who wouldn’t come after them after they ran, winner of the fight or not, Zabuza had always had the time of his life.

Because when fighting a Shinigami, he was never sure he’d _stay_ alive.

Glorious.

Zabuza was pulled out of his thoughts as Haku decided this was the most advantageous position to wait and stopped walking. Zabuza halted as well and leaned against the wall, positioned to best keep an eye on their surroundings, Haku half a step behind him. When one of the prey looked towards them, Zabuza gave him a grin.

The prey flinched. Typical.

 _Boring_.

Absently letting his vision glide over all those present, he halted briefly as he met Jinin’s gaze. There was a spark in his eyes, an invitation. Zabuza gave him a grin in return, accepting the offer for later.

Everyone was fucking breakable. But Jinin wasn’t as breakable as most. Even with The Rules, their fights could almost be called decent. Almost.

Now when Jinin joined forces with Kushimaru, Ameyuri and Pakura however…

Zabuza never hated the rules more than when in a fight with those four at the same time.

Haku’s dominant hand twitched slightly, so Zabuza shifted his focus towards him. Haku’s expression was as purposely calm and at ease as the rest of his body language, but Zabuza knew the brat like the back of his hand. And because he did, he did not smile. At all.

Haku was feeling shy.

Soft brat.

Soft, but not weak. Not breakable.

Not too much at least.

Haku wasn’t prey. But he wasn’t a predator either. He wasn’t even a scavenger, not really. Haku was…

 _His_.

Zabuza protected what was his. Rules or not, if anyone came after Haku, he’d rip the fucker apart with his bare hands. Unless the threat was _too_ great he supposed, then they’d run. A threat like–

Zabuza wrenched his mind away from _that_.

Fire couldn’t be fought.

But as long as whoever came after Haku was the slightest bit breakable, Zabuza would murder the fucker in a heartbeat. Then they’d run. The Rules were very clear on the consequences of breaking them after all.

Well, Zabuza would murder the fucker if Haku hadn’t already taken care of the problem himself. Haku didn’t like doing that though, preferred it when Zabuza took care of it instead.

Soft brat.

Zabuza shifted his weight, a simple reminder of his presence. A reminder Haku wasn’t alone. In return, Haku’s lips twitched, the closest thing he had to a smile when they were out in the open. Zabuza grinned, feeling the strange satisfaction he always did whenever he saw any version of that gesture. Then he returned his focus to their surroundings.

And of course, he noted three prey flinching as they looked towards him. More specifically, as they looked towards his teeth.

So. Boring.

Yet Zabuza felt some true interest stirr as he started consciously noting who exactly was present here. He’d been aware that more and more predators had been arriving, reflexively tracking their positions, but now he consciously registered it was _all_ of them. And it wasn’t just the predators either, all the scavengers had gathered too.

Well what do you know. This could turn out to be a little fun after all.

Because not too breakable scavengers were without a doubt the second best fights possible. If you managed to corner them at least.

Scavengers, even more than predators, were _vicious_.

Zabuza lazily inspected them one by one. They were laughably easy to spot, even when he was partly blinded by all the prey. Not only were they all ready to flee at a moment’s notice but none ever looked fully towards any of the predators. Including the ones the prey were too stupid to recognize. Hell, none of the scavengers even reacted in the slightest as he inspected them, a dead give away if there ever was one. Though three of them almost did. They managed to keep themselves under control though.

Zabuza briefly looked over the scavenger with the bandana, who nearly flinched in return. That one was much too breakable to be any kind of fun, but Zabuza still wondered about him. More specifically, he wondered why that scavenger had chosen his particular protector. Letting his eyes drop down to the tiny scavenger the bandana scavenger was using as a barrier, who very deliberately did not react to his attention in the slightest, Zabuza pondered this. She was one of only two scavengers he hadn’t been able to get a view on, though he could make a guess based on her behavior.

Breakable. But a little less than most. Only a little though.

Which was why he wondered why the bandana scavenger was using her as a protector. There were others stronger than her, even among the scavengers, so what was it that made the bandana scavenger choose her in particular? Zabuza didn’t think it was because of her Shinigami.

The Shinigami who _wasn’t_ breakable, who was bright and blinding and _powerful_. The one Zabuza would _never_ be able to defeat.

Just the thought made him shiver with pure pleasure once more.

His action made the corner of Haku’s lips twitch again and Zabuza felt another grin grow in response, pulled out of his thoughts by that ever odd satisfaction once more.

But back to the track. Zabuza truly think the bandana scavenger had chosen the tiny scavenger because of her Shinigami. It was logical to assume he had of course, and Zabuza had done so for a while. Then he’d seen the bandana scavenger very carefully avoid looking towards a Shinigami. Zabuza had understood what that meant.

A Shinigami had cornered that scavenger once. And had done so for a long time.

The bandana scavenger wouldn’t have considered the tiny scavenger’s Shinigami to be an advantage. So why had he chosen her as his protector?

As the bell rang, Zabuza pushed the thought out of his mind. Instead, he felt anticipation unfurl as all the prey disappeared into classrooms.

The predators and scavengers didn’t.

And there was one who stayed, who he hadn’t thought was either a scavenger or predator. But she wasn’t prey either. No, now that the prey weren’t blinding him, he saw that she was _sharp_. Breakable of course, but she didn’t seem to care about that. In fact, his attention only made her become even _sharper_. That was…

Interesting.

As the door began to open Zabuza shifted most of his vision towards the Shinigami, adjusting his balance so that he’d be able to get between the Shinigami and Haku in time. Not that he truly thought that would happen, all Shinigami in this place seemed to be neutered. Even when “sparring” they were barely trying. Even worse, they expected Zabuza to do the same.

Still, neutered or not, Zabuza wasn’t going to take any chances. Not with Shinigami.

Not when it came to Haku.

The Shinigami sighed softly, before giving them all a dangerous look. And when Zabuza inspected him more closely, he saw that the Shinigami… wasn’t breakable. Not even a little. Combine that with the fact this was a _Shinigami_ …

Zabuza _hated_ The Rules. _So much_.

“Alright, this is what’s going to happen. You’re all going to enter this classroom one by one and take a seat. And the instant you step into this room, you’re not even going to think of attacking because I will electrocute you if you do. Are we clear?”

The Shinigami’s statement made Zabuza grin hugely, excitement and glee rising full force. Finally, a Shinigami with guts. Even better, a Shinigami with guts _and_ Rules, though they were obviously different than The Rules. But Rules meant it would be easy to keep Haku out of danger he couldn’t handle.

This was actually going to be fun.

\---

He was wrong. The Shinigami’s brutal smackdown of Zabuza and four other predators after the truce ended hadn’t been fun.

It had been _glorious_.

And as he and Haku raced across the grounds, burns all over his chest, his shoulder dislocated and one arm completely numb, Zabuza couldn’t help but laugh like mad.

Now _this_ wasn’t boring.

The fact that after he’d gotten the worst of his injuries treated at the infirmary, the one thing Zabuza truly loved about The Rules, Haku gently mocked as he cleaned the wounds that remained, a warm and full smile present the entire time, only made Zabuza even happier.

He missed their District, he truly did. But the decision to come to the Shinigami Academy had been his best one yet.

Not in the least because Haku was smiling so much more now.

* * *

 

**Yuugao’s Cheer**

“I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can, you did fine.”

“They _laughed_ at me.”

“But you made them stop, that’s the important part.”

“I actually had to bring a student to the infirmary.”

“And that’s completely normal for Hakuda.”

“Not on the first day!”

“Technically, it’s the second day. Really though, you made one mistake, easily fixed. And nobody died, that’s the most important thing. Stop worrying so much.”

Yuugao cheerfully installed herself opposite of Aoba and one of the new guys. Who’d just buried his head inside his arms.

“What’s this about a student send to the infirmary?” she asked, her curiosity roused. Usually it took a few weeks before that happened during classes.

Her question made the new lift his head, his expression despairing. But after a momentary blink of surprise, he _blushed_ , shoulders hunching nervously. It was adorable.

Meanwhile, Aoba gave her a quick grin as he sipped his sake.

“Onozuka here made the mistake of letting the students pick their own partner at Hakuda.” he answered. Ah, classic rookie mistake. Though it didn’t explain why a student was sent to the infirmary. If anything, they should’ve taken it much easier than they normally would. And they always took it too easy anyway. Because new students were precious like that.

Yuugao adored beating that silly notion out of them, she really did. It was one of her favorite parts of teaching.

“Also, Onozuka Yaoki, meet Yuugao, just Yuugao. Just Yuugao, meet Onozuka Yaoki.” Aoba continued. The new guy gave her a hesitant smile.

“Nice to meet you Yuugao-san.” he told her.

“Nice to meet you too. So how did a student already land in the infirmary?” she asked, getting back to the important thing. In return, Aoba grinned, his eyes gleaming with mirth. At least he wasn’t as much of a douche to keep his sunglasses on inside, the dark lenses situated comfortably on the top of his head instead.

“He’s on the Rukongai track.” he answered simply. Now Yuugao was amused. So was her Zanpakuto.

“An outer went too far?” she asked. Because _always taking it too easy_ wasn’t quite the truth. In fact, with outers it was the opposite. You had to make sure they knew that killing, torture, or maiming wasn’t allowed. At all. No, not even a little. No matter what.

Luckily, thanks to Medical Kido, maiming had a much smaller definition than the one they were used to. She knew some of them had already figured out the full extent of it, she’d gotten it practically as soon as she’d arrived. But she also knew some hadn’t yet. Give it another month at the latest and they would.

Aoba’s grin grew as he inclined his head in return.

“The same kid who tore up your wrist.” he replied, making Yuugao grin as well. What were the odds.

His statement made the new guy give her a confused look.

“...Tore up your wrist?” he hesitantly asked. In return, Yuugao happily extended her right hand and pulled up the sleeve. As the guy looked at the missing chunk in her wrist, his jaw dropped. And Yuugao _reveled_ in the reaction, while her Zanpakuto send a sensation that was its equivalent of giggling madly.

“Wha– how did she even…” he sputtered, trailing off as she drew her arm back.

“She bit it off!” Yuugao exclaimed, her Zanpakuto still giggling like mad. Her sword was always so easily entertained.

“Who bit what off?” Ebisu asked as he sat down next to her, making her want to perk up. She didn’t, keeping her posture generally amused instead.

Ebisu hadn’t changed at all, he was as nosy as ever. And also frowning towards the sake Aoba was nursing. Really, he should be used to it by now, members of the Eight were often found with some form of alcohol.

“Yesterday an outer bit off a piece of my wrist during testing.” she happily informed him, showing off her wrist once more. Because it had been _beautiful_. That little brat was going to be so much fun after she’d gotten some training.

Ebisu sniffed and lifted his nose. Because he had a Zanpakuto the size of the Soukyoku Hill stuck up his ass.

“Savages. I’m glad I don’t have to teach them anymore.” he haughtily proclaimed. It made Aoba snort, managing to convey an entire insult with that one sound, while Yuugao rolled her eyes and punched the ass on the shoulder, channeling enough Reiryoku to make it bruise. Immediately Ebisu recoiled and give her a dirty look. One she could actually see even without observing his eyes. Because the douche was wearing sunglasses. Inside.

“Yes, yes, we heard you finally achieved your dream. Have fun with the snooty brats.” she shot back. Ebisu frowned even harder, glaring so fiercely she could feel his eyes drilling into her head, sunglasses or not.

“The high Nobles are–” he began.

“Arrogant?” Yuugao immediately provided with a bright smile, the one that always annoyed the hell out of him.

“Stuck up?” Aoba said with a small smirk before Ebisu could speak.

“Conceited?” she continued.

“Presumptuous?” Aoba played along.

“Cocky?”

“Vain?”

“Pompous?”

“Smug?”

“ _Civilized_.” Ebisu finally snapped. Yuugao burst out laughing, while her her Zanpakuto send a complex feeling that managed to perfectly convey the message of derisively spitting on the ground. Civilized. Right.

Her reaction made Ebisu let out an aggravated noise and stand up in a huff.

“I don’t even know why I came here.” he proclaimed

“Because you’re an incurable gossip.” Aoba told him seriously, Yuugao nodding in agreement. Because Ebisu really was. He embodied that stereotype of the Ninth perfectly.

Aoba’s statement made Ebisu tilt down his head so his eyes were visible. All so that he could give her and Aoba a venomous glare.

“I am not _a gossip_.” he denied fiercely, condescension dripping from every word. For one short moment his presence actually brightened a fraction, something so very rare from mister prim and proper.

Yuugao was pleased.

“You really are. It’s okay, being a gossip doesn’t prevent you from being a stuck up douche as well.” Yuugao assured him, once again smiling her most annoying smile.

Ebisu looked like he wanted to strangle her. Yuugao was so proud of herself..

“I don’t have to listen to this!” he exclaimed and left without even saying goodbye, striding towards the exit.

“Bye Ebisu!” she called out in her friendliest voice right before he left the lounge. In return, he practically slammed the door behind him. Which really was impressive, seeing as it was a sliding screen.

That man was just so easy to rile up. It was adorable. Yuugao had missed yanking his chain.

Aoba chuckled and shot back the last of his sake, before refilling the cup from a jug he’d most likely taken from the totally-doesn’t-exist-in-the-teacher’s-lounge bar.

“...That was kind of mean.” the new guy said in a sharp voice, making Yuugao turn towards him with some surprise. She’d almost forgotten he was there. Except not really.

“Nah, he’s used to it. Besides, if he was really pissed we’d have known, trust me.” Aoba told him, slouching down his chair a little more.

“Yeah, Ebisu isn’t subtle about things like that. Or anything really.” Yuugao agreed.

“He’s– he’s been a teacher for a few times then?” the new guy asked, practically stuttering, the sharpness from before gone as though it had never been there. He seemed so shy. It was just precious.

“This is his third term.” Yuugao told him. Then she grinned, amusement rising once more. “He’s on the Noble track as well. He’s been wanting to ever since he first started teaching.” she mused out loud as her Zanpakuto send its version of a disgusted scoff.

Yuugao didn’t understand that desire, she really didn’t. The rich kids were fully trained already, all of them having decades of private tutors, or just family members teaching them. What fun was there in simply getting them ready for graduation? They only needed to figure out the paperwork system, some time to form a Zanpakuto, go on a few missions to get some minimum experience, and presto. Instant fresh meat.

It was also a shame Ebisu had gotten them. Meant she’d only have two years to yank his chain, even less than the four from last time. Well, that just meant she’d have to make the most of it.

“Ah.” the new guy said awkwardly. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. “Maybe I should ask for some advice.” he mumbled, more to himself than to her or Aoba.

“Don’t ask Ebisu.” Aoba immediately warned with a grin.

“Yeah, don’t. Ebisu only spend one term on the Rukongai track and he never quite got the hang of it. He’s much better with Seireitei brats.” she agreed. And he really was. For all the faults that man had, Ebisu was very good at teaching the practical side of Hohou of Hakuda. He was also _great_ at not only keeping the students alive on training missions, but in stomping some sense into them at the same time.

But he sucked at instilling the basics of the necessary obedience needed to make it as a Shinigami. Or even as a senior student. Which was why he was better with Seireitei brats, those entered with a deeper understanding of what being a shinigami entailed.

Well. Shinigami from the Gotei 13 at least.

“If you want advice, you should come to me.” she told the new guy with a winning smile. “This is my sixth time now, and always the Rukongai track as well. I am a fountain of advice.” And she enjoyed parting with it, especially with rookies like this one. They were almost as precious as new students.

“And if you want advice that doesn’t involve violence, I can help you as well.” Aoba told the new guy with a grin. She really had to try to remember his name. Onozari? Onozumi? Ah, whatever. New guy would suffice for now.

The new guy gave her a very hesitant look, his shoulders hunching even more. So precious.

“You’ve also been a teacher a few times?” he asked Aoba, making him nod in return.

“Third time as well. What classes are you teaching anyway? Aside from Hakuda.” Aoba asked with a curious look.

“Ah, just History, but the final year I’ll also take on a class of Administrative Duties.” the new guy answered, giving a small smile back.

Yuugao was so glad she was only in charge of advanced Zanjutsu and Hakuda this time. It had been hard enough to get through the paperwork class in the first place, but teaching it was _actually even worse_. Luckily, she hadn’t needed to do that more than once. Even more lucky, she’d never had to give “the glorious” history of Soul Society.

“History is pretty easy, you only need to snap your Reiatsu a few times if they get too loud, maybe make an example out of the most unruly ones. But you don’t have to force them to pay attention. Just let the ones who want to act like idiots do so, they’ll either learn discipline or drop out.” Aoba stated with the voice of experience. He was doing History as well, for the third time now. From choice, the nerd.

The new guy gave him a surprisingly narrow eyed look, showing sudden disapproval.

“Aren’t we supposed to make sure that they, you know, don’t fail?” he demanded so very pointedly. And it made Yuugao laugh, while Aoba gave him a wry and indulging smile.

“Partly. But mostly we’re supposed to see which of these people are actually Shinigami material. Sure, in the physical courses we have to be enforce blind obedience, too much risk of things going wrong otherwise. But when giving theory? When it comes to studying and training on their own? No, they either sink or swim.” Aoba told him firmly. The new guy frowned, a disagreeing look on his face.

“Think of it this way. If they don’t have enough self-discipline, they’re going to die anyway.” Yuugao told him. Because honestly, the fatality rate for fresh meat was the highest for all Shinigami, and those were the people who actually trained of their own violation. But the ones who didn’t? Who slacked off? Yeah, those were always the first to go. Better to just send them back home before they found that out themselves.

Of course, there were always idiots who grew complacent, even in her own squad. They never stayed complacent for long though. Well, the ones that survived a mission gone horribly wrong at least.

Even after all this time, Yuugao kept being surprised by how many did.

Medical Kido was a true wonder. It was kind of a shame she had exactly zero talent for it.

The new guy wavered for several long moments. Then he sighed softly, a look of agreement on his face.

“As for Hakuda, here’s a golden tip. Don’t let outers spar with anyone but yourself or another outer.” Aoba continued, this time truly serious. And scolding. Not surprising, that was always a strongly underlined “guide line” in the introductory meetings.

The new guy winced.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, I can do that, I’ve got two, no problem.” he mumbled softly, again more to himself than to either Aoba or her. While looking very admonished. He was lucky something had only gone wrong with one of them. And so lightly too, nothing that couldn’t be immediately fixed. Otherwise Aoba wouldn’t be this relaxed.

“You’ve _always_ got two. If you don’t, you don’t have outers.” Yuugao told him with a grin, as ever so very amused by this system. Even more amused by the fact that _it actually_ _worked_.

It was also very fun that she already had violent outers in her own Hakuda class. Meant she could put them in their place with extreme prejudice. Like recognized like after all.

She couldn’t wait until she got the advanced classes. In those, there was no limit on the number of outers. And this term she’d get the classes with the violent ones for both Zanjutsu _and_ Hakuda! Which, for Hakuda at the very least, meant _the student with the pointy teeth_.

This was going to be so much _fun_. Her Zanpakuto agreed completely, sending a sensation of gleeful laughter her way. They were a lot alike, her and her Zanpakuto.

“Keep a careful eye on them though, they have a tendency to go _way_ too far when sparring. You’ll have to interfere frequently. And seriously, interfere. Hard. Kick their ass, don’t hold back.” she continued. Well, he had passive outers, so them going too far would most likely be an accident. And he’d only have them for a month, both the brat and blackie had already mastered the basics of hand-to-hand, that much was abundantly clear from her own testing.

Because blackie had been able to dodge anything falling within her speed range, and when she’d finally attacked, she’d gone for Yuugao’s throat. As for the brat, she’d not only forced Yuugao to release her Zanpakuto, but she’d tried to shatter her kneecap before that as well.

If the strike had connected, the brat would’ve succeeded too.

 _Beautiful_. Her Zanpakuto concurred.

But still, even if it was only a month, the new guy couldn’t show them any slack, those reflexes had to be beaten out. It was the only way to learn before anything lethal happened.

The new guy now looked very uncomfortable, giving Aoba a questioning look, clearly asking if she was being serious.

“It’s true.” Aoba immediately confirmed. “Yeah, you’ve got to treat all students equally and all that, but you also have to adjust your teaching for outers. If you don’t, you’re going to have a fatal incident in your class. Though if you still have them after this month, they’re usually adjusted enough after half a year, you can loosen up then. Well, the other students will be able to defend themselves long enough to survive at least.” Aoba finished with a small grin as he sipped his sake, his sense of humor as wonderful as always.

The truth was often funnier than any lie.

Aoba’s statement made the new guy look even more uncomfortable. Seriously, he was just so shy and awkward. It was adorable.

“What Division are you from anyway?” she asked, a little curious. He seemed like a Fourth, or maybe a Seventh.

“The Tenth.” he answered, sitting up a little straighter, showing what seemed to be true pride.

It made Yuugao grin, her Zanpakuto perking up with interest.

“Really? You don’t seem the type.” Because the Tenth was known for their vicious fighters, second only to the Eleventh. Though they were generally more rounded instead of focusing on Zanjutsu.

“I’m a good fighter.” the new guy shot back, actually sounding indignant. It made Yuugao’s grin grow, her Zanpakuto becoming gleefully excited, full focus now aimed towards the new guy.

Aoba groaned softly.

“Shouldn’t have said that.” he told the new guy with a pitying look, getting a confused one in return.

“Really?” Yuugao purred as she leaned forward. The new guy blinked in bewilderment, shoulders hunching again, actually becoming even more nervous than before. He didn’t _seem_ like a good fighter.

But Yuugao knew that it was the ones who didn’t, who could sometimes be the best of them all. And she was absolutely going to find out whether that was true in this case or not.

The thing she adored most about working at the Academy, was the fact that the teachers came from every possible Division, and even a few from the Onmitsukido and Kido Corps as well. Though of course those paranoid neurotics tried to hide what they were.

But really, for all intents and purposes, this was the only time all branches worked together. And it offered the opportunity to fight an _incredibly_ diverse range of opponents, all with different styles and techniques and strategies and _oh yes,_ Yuugao adored this most of all. It was why she signed up every term. And beat up the other hopefuls to ensure she got a spot. When more people than the handful required signed up at least.

“I– Yes. Yes I am.” the new guy said with a firm nod. Aoba gave him another pitying look.

“ _Well_. Guess we’ll have to spar to find out if that’s true or not, now won’t we?” Yuugao purred, her Zanpakuto looking on with giddy excitement. The new guy gave her a very uncertain look in return. While blushing. How cute.

“...I suppose. If– If you want to.” he finally said. And it made Yuugao’s grin split her face, her Zanpakuto dancing with joy.

 _Perfect_.

“How does today after classes sound? At the howling moon fields?” she asked, voice even lower, leaning forward a little more. The new guy’s blush grew.

“Uhm, I don’t know where these are. And– and I need to finish my initial evaluations today.” he answered.

“They’re near the Eleventh barracks, I can show you. And really, you can finish those pesky evaluations afterwards.” she told him, keeping her voice low and husky without any effort whatsoever, her Zanpakuto still dancing with joy.

“Yes, you’ll have plenty of time when you’re recovering with the Fourth. If you can still write.” Aoba’s voice was dry as dust. Yuugao channeled a sharp flare of Reiryoku and kicked him underneath the table. Hard enough to bruise, heightened defense or not.

Aoba let out a pained hiss, giving her a dirty look. His fault for trying to make the new guy back off.

And hell, it was working too! The new guy was starting to look reluctant!

“Uhm, maybe– maybe some other time instead? I have to patrol tomorrow. How about the day after?”

Fuck no. Yuugao was an impatient person, and now that she’d decided to fight this guy she wasn’t going to wait two whole days. Or even one. Quick, think!

...Well, it was at risk of being too obvious, but he had seemed genuinely proud of his Division. And of his skills as well.

So Yuugao sighed softly and leaned back in her chair with a disappointed expression. Both she and her Zanpakuto were full of anxious anticipation.

“If you don’t want to spar you don’t need to give an excuse, just say so.” she said in a slightly dejected voice. The new guy gave her a confused look. Meanwhile, Aoba hid an amused smile behind his raised cup, settling back to watch the show. He knew her so well.

“I– I didn’t say I don’t want to. Just, uhm, not today?” the new guy returned hesitantly. Yuugao sighed softly once more, making her expression a touch more disappointed.

“No really, I get it. I mean, I’m from the Eleventh, you’re from the Tenth. It’s natural really.”

The new guy turned even more confused. And a little suspicious as well. Come on, take the bait.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he warily asked. Success! Okay Yuugao, play it cool. She really hoped she’d gotten his character right.

“Well, it’s obvious you’d lose.” she told him, adding a hint of patronizing to her voice. Both she and her Zanpakuto waited for his reaction with baited breath.

The new guy’s eyes narrowed, shoulders straightening, blush disappearing. Yes! Yuugao gave herself a mental pat on the back for her correct guess, her Zanpakuto’s giddy joy spiking sharply once more.

“You think you’ll win because you’re from the Eleventh?” he demanded, all hesitance gone, pride taking it’s place. Yuugao snorted, pointedly dismissive.

“No. I know I’ll win because you’re from the Tenth.” she shot back matter of factly.

“Is that so?” the new guy returned, soft and dangerous and _oh,_ he might not just be good, but _good_.

“It is.” Yuugao retorted confidently. It made the new guy thin his lips.

“Fine. I’ll be waiting at the main gates after classes.” he told her. And Yuugao let her grin split her face, mentally squealing with joy while her Zanpakuto cheered in ecstasy, practically contorting with glee.

“ _Deal_.” she purred back. It made the new guy blink in confusion and blush once more. Then he turned uncertain, shoulders hunching. As Aoba chuckled, the new guy gave him a resigned look.

“I got played, didn’t I.” he stated more than asked.

“Like a shamisen.” Aoba agreed with a grin.

“A deal’s a deal, can’t back out unless you’re a coward.” Yuugao cheerfully said, both she and her Zanpakuto still giddy with joy. The new guy sighed softly, closing his eyes as his shoulders slumped further. But he didn’t back out.

Oh yes, Yuugao _adored_ being a teacher. And this right here was exactly why she did.

* * *

 

**Kushina’s Advice**

Namikaze Minato watched as Rin shot back her second drink in one go. He couldn’t blame her, not after what had happened.

Releasing his Reiatsu like that had not been one of his better ideas.

_You don’t say_

Minato maturely send his spirit an image of him sticking his tongue out, Hiraishin becoming decidedly unimpressed in return. But he really was grateful his spirit had kept silent until now. This entire thing had been enough of a mess without Hiraishin’s constant criticism added as well.

Honestly, Minato had forgotten just how hard his Reiatsu hit non-Shinigami. Not helped by the fact that most of the students present hadn’t been able to control their own energy in the slightest.

And then there had been Hayate.

_I would just like to point out I told you this would happen_

_Yes, I do remember you saying Hayate would have a complete breakdown,_ Minato retorted dryly.

_I’ll admit, that was unexpected for the both of us. But I did warn you about the effects of our Reiatsu_

Minato was forced to agree with that one. Still, he’d believed Hiraishin had been… exaggerating.

_If you’re going to lie to yourself, at least come up with something better than that_

Fine. He’d been fully aware that what he’d been about to do was not only unbelievably rude, but that it would scare the living daylight out of all students around him. But…

But chibi-chan had asked for _help_. And it had been important enough for her to _seek him out_.

So even though Minato felt guilty over the fear he’d inspired, he didn’t regret his action. But he did regret he hadn’t stopped Rin from approaching Hayate. And that he’d reflexively drawn Hiraishin after chibi-chan had already gotten Rin well out of the way of Hayate’s strike.

_Better. Much better_

_So glad you approve,_ he shot back, involuntary fondness rising. His spirit was such an ass.

“I can’t believe Hayate– why would he _do_ that?” Rin asked, looking down her now empty cup. It was much too early to be drinking, but in this particular case Minato felt an exception could be made. Which was why he’d paid the owner to give them a bottle of something strong, no matter that this place didn’t start serving alcohol until midday.

Minato still remembered when he’d first been confronted with his own mortality.

It hadn’t been pleasant.

“He didn’t mean to.” he told her. Because that couldn’t have been more clear. Yet his answer made Rin give him an incredulous look. While still looking so very upset, though not aimed towards him.

Thank the stars he’d shielded Rin from the effects of his Reiatsu. He very much doubted she’d still be so at ease with him otherwise. And her reaction was normal of course, it’s not like he’d have reacted any differently if this had happened to him in his first year. Hell, on his third _day._

“So what, it was an accide– a reflex. It was a reflex.” Rin said with a pained grimace, closing her eyes and clutching her cup even tighter.

Minato was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected her to genuinely get that so soon. By now, it was clear Rin didn’t fully grasp all the implications of surviving in an outer District.

But then, Minato hadn’t either.

Not until Ukitake-taichou had spelled it out for him.

_If you start moping again, I will blind you_

_I love you too._

“Yes it was. He didn’t mean to do that.” he told her, keeping his voice gentle, letting his compassion show. Because this really was a huge thing.

Every encounter with death was.

Rin let out a sound that could vaguely be called a laugh. Then she finally lifted her head, meeting his gaze. And the fear she showed broke his heart a little.

“But he still did it. I– what if Kouga-chan hadn’t pulled me out of the way in time? What if you hadn't been there? Or the teachers? I could’ve– I could’ve _died_.” By the end of her statement, her voice gave out, expression crumbling.

Minato sighed. That was the entire problem, now wasn’t it? Because accident or not, the fact remained that Hayate had attacked her. Lethally so.

Rin wasn’t yet capable of defending herself against that kind of control. That kind of speed.

“But you didn’t, and we were all there.” he said, instead. Right now Rin didn’t need to hear that.

_Right, she doesn’t need to know her life is in permanent danger whenever she’s around your stray or her shadow. Sounds fair_

...Hiraishin had a point. A good one.

But if he simply told Rin the truth, Minato feared she’d avoid chibi-chan. And Rin… Rin was one of _three_ people chibi-chan voluntarily interacted with. One of her only friends.

Honestly, Minato did like Rin and Obito both, enjoyed spending some time with them whenever he visited chibi-chan. Not just for what they could tell him about chibi-chan, simply for who they were. They were good kids.

But it was the little girl with haunted green eyes he felt most protective of.

Yet it was unfair of him not to tell Rin. Not when she would be putting her own life at risk.

Except…

Except from everything he’d observed from chibi-chan, from all the things Obito and Rin had told him about her and Hayate both, neither of them had _ever_ shown _any_ aggression towards anyone. Hostility and defensiveness, yes, but never anything that would _initiate_ violence. Not even unintentionally, they simply ran away instead. And that was if they even allowed a person to get close to them in the first place. That was part of the reason he’d been so completely caught off guard by chibi-chan’s request.

Aside, of course, from the fact that _chibi-chan had sought him out herself_.

_Speaking of, when exactly was the last time you heard about either your stray or her shadow being even vaguely near Shinigami by choice?_

Minato wasn’t going to think about that. At all. If he did, he genuinely feared he would do something monumentally stupid. And treacherous. And doomed to fail.

_Fine, I won’t remind you of the truth. For now_

_Thank you ever so much for your kind generosity._

“But I could have. I could have _died_.” Rin repeated, a brutal shiver running through her.

Yes, Minato had to tell her. After he gave her another drink. He didn’t want to get her drunk of course, but Rin could use something to steady her nerves. A little more.

So Minato lifted the bottle and refilled her cup as he thought on how to approach this delicate situation.

Rin immediately shot back her drink in one go again. Right.

Minato put the lid back on and casually placed the bottle out of her immediate reach.

“I–” He cut himself off as he suddenly registered Kushina’s energy moving towards him at high speed, becoming a warm caress as she noted his attention. Hiraishin immediately let out an infatuated sigh and Minato couldn’t help a silly smile as well, his joy completely separate from Hiraishin’s own happiness.

Stars, but he loved that woman.

“–do believe we’re about to have some company.” he told Rin after his brief hesitation.

Wait. Rin. Who needed to talk about what had happened. Who needed support. And a delicate touch.

Oh no.

_Don’t be an idiot, this is perfect. Our love is amazing with situations like this_

Minato remembered the time he’d asked for Kushina’s help with settling the recovery costs for a damaged theatre, after a brawl between some members of the Eleventh and the Thirteenth had gotten out of hand. Remembered how she’d solved the problem by cornering every individual involved and threatening to completely humiliate them if they each didn't each pay up equally.

He remembered the… incidents after Izumo and Kotetsu had called her bluff.

That was not the kind of help Rin needed right now.

_One, I don’t know what you’re complaining about, the problem was solved fairly. And two, that was a completely different situation. I honestly don’t see how this is related to that_

“What company?” Rin asked with confusion, but Minato didn’t answer yet, too busy thinking on what to do in the precious few moments until Kushina got here.

He couldn’t just leave Rin, she _really_ needed to talk about this. But he couldn’t just tell Kushina to go away either.

Could he?

_No. No, you cannot_

Hiraishin was a pure warning. If Minato tried to tell Kushina to go away, his spirit _would_ interfere. And truthfully, Minato didn’t want to do that either.

It was _Kushina_.

But her being around Rin right now? Not a good idea.

_Remind me, who was it that finally managed to snap your brat out of his depression?_

That was different. Kakashi had practically been raised a Shinigami, he could survive the force of nature that was Uzumaki Kushina.

But Rin was a student. From the Rukongai. Who’d had two _days_ of lessons.

Completely different situation.

_I find your lack of faith disturbing_

It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith, just that Kushina was… intense.

But it didn’t matter anymore, she was about to reach the cafe. So Minato told Rin the truth.

“We’re about to have the best company there is.” And saying so, he turned his head towards the entrance just in time to see Kushina halt in the opening.

Minato swore the world suddenly became a little brighter.

The moment her beautiful gray eyes met his, she broke out into a wide grin. Then she leaped over three tables and five people, smoothly dropping down into his lap, Minato’s hands settling on her hips, her own coming to rest on his chest, his heart skipping a beat as Kushina entangled her energy through his.

Every time he saw Kushina, she somehow became even more beautiful.

_That is one of very few things we are in full agreement on_

Hiraishin’s giddy statement was drowned out by Kushina leaning forward and stealing his breath, a kiss felt all the way down to toes, so heady he became lightheaded. When she finally pulled back Minato could only stare at her in a daze, vaguely aware he was smiling like a loon.

“Why hello there lieutenant Namikaze. Fancy meeting you here.” she said with that lovely smile she only ever made when she looked at _him_.

“Kushina.” he wittily replied. Because Minato was smooth like that.

_Tell her I said hi!_

“Hiraishin says hi.” he dutifully repeated, most of his higher brain functions still shut down.

That lovely smile turned into a grin, her eyes gleaming playfully, the sight demanding his full attention.

“And hello to you too Hiraishin.” she said, making Hiraishin let out another infatuated sigh, radiating pure bliss. Then Kushina leaned forward and broke Minato’s brain again with another toe curling kiss.

He loved this woman so much.

“Erhm.” The awkward sound made Kushina pull back, taking most of his brainpower with her. Minato watched as she turned her head to the side, as always mesmerized by the living flame that was her hair, one of his hands automatically coming up to caress the red strands. Then his mind processed that Kushina was looking _towards_ someone.

Rin. Help. Right.

“Oh hey, you’re one of Minato’s ducklings!” Kushina’s bright exclamation cleared the last of his scattered mind. Minato cleared his throat softly.

“Nohara Rin, meet the Fourth Seat of the Eleventh Division, Uzumaki Kushina. Uzumaki Kushina, meet Nohara Rin, first year student at the Shin’ou Academy.”

In one graceful movement Kushina slid off his lap and appeared next to Rin, immediately engulfing her in a huge hug, half lifting her off her seat, making Rin flail her arms as she completely lost her balance, only Kushina’s grip preventing her from falling.

“So nice to finally meet you! Minato has been talking about you, well, you and his two other ducklings, for months. I feel like we’re friends already!”

The part of Rin’s face still visible was showing nothing but pure bewilderment, and Minato couldn’t help but grin at the sight. It was just too funny.

“Maybe you should let her breath Kushina, I hear that’s pretty important.” he said, taking pity on Rin. Who was turning red now that the initial shock had passed. More from embarrassment than anything else though.

Personal space, meet Kushina.

Hiraishin let out another infatuated sigh.

Kushina did indeed let go of Rin, beaming at her as she installed herself on Minato’s lap again. Even though there was an empty seat next to him.

Not that he was complaining.

“It’s ah, nice to meet you too Uzumaki-san?” Rin returned, red cheeks lessening to pink as she struggled to regain her balance, Kushina’s abrupt release having nearly made her fall off her chair. Again. Her reaction made Minato chuckle softly, while Kushina practically cooed.

“Aww, look at you. You’re even more adorable than Minato said! And just Kushina is fine, Rin.”

Minato felt his grin grow, leaning his chin across Kushina’s shoulders, arms clasped around her middle, pulling her a little closer. He was also resisting the urge to close his eyes and melt in a puddle of goo as she brought up a hand to absently play with his hair.

Hiraishin had no such issues, his spirit radiating nothing but blissful contentment.

“...Thank you Kushina. Minato talked a lot about you too.” Rin returned, still stunned. Most people meeting Kushina for the first time were.

“All good things, I’m sure.” Kushina said with a playful glance towards him.

“Kushina, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re accusing me of something.” he teased back. And reveled in her answering laugh, the way her energy was just one step away from being uncontrolled, wild and vibrant, reacting to her every mood.

“So what are you two doing here? And most importantly, why in the world did you release your Reiatsu like that? I thought you were going to the Academy?” Kushina continued, shifting her balance a little. In a way that caused a reaction not suitable for public.

Minato regulated his energy flow to take care of that reaction. And hoped Kushina wasn’t in too playful of a mood, then he’d have to make clear this was not the time. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but this was a serious situation. Which was also why he waved the approaching waiter off. He figured he could buy Kushina something after the situation was no longer so tense to make up for it. She was just always so picky about what to get.

“I did go to the Academy.” he admitted, feeling embarrassment rise. It sounded so much worse when he said it out loud. He felt some guilt rise again as well. Still didn’t regret it though.

Not all of it at least.

Kushina understood immediately, pulling away enough so she could turn her full vision towards him, checking to see if he was serious. When she concluded he was, she burst out laughing, her energy flaring brightly, intoxicating to feel.

“You actually– in the _Academy?_ Oh, you must’ve scared the life out of the students.”

_Told you_

Hiraishin’s remark was habitual, his spirit was still perfectly happy with being a bundle of bliss.

“What ever made you decide to do _that?_ ” Kushina continued with a huge grin, beautiful eyes dancing with mirth.

“Chibi-chan asked me to.” he replied, making Kushina let out a loud snort, her nose scrunching up completely. She could be so cute.

“I seriously cannot wait to meet that brat. It’s hilarious how she has you wrapped around her tiny fingers.”

_This is very true_

Minato wasn’t going to react to that, not to either Kushina or Hiraishin. Because when he thought of _why_ he felt so protective of chibi-chan, why he wanted, _needed_ her to be _alright_ …

Monumentally stupid. And treacherous. And doomed to fail.

Minato reminded himself of these things very hard.

_We’ll come up with a better plan, we just need time. And again, I strongly urge you to include our love in this. She’d be amazingly helpful_

_No,_ Minato shot back firmly. He was _not_ going to risk Kushina. Especially with plans doomed to fail.

_We’ll see_

Sometimes Minato wondered whether other Shinigami’s spirits were as talkative as his. He knew Kushina’s wasn’t.

“Wait, that was because of Kouga-chan? Why did she ask you to do _that?_ And do you realize how hard you made everyone freak out?” Rin’s demand drew both Minato’s and Kushina’s gazes back towards her. Minato was amused to see her giving him a very stern look. He’d expected her to say something about this long before now actually. And he supposed she would’ve, if it hadn’t been for Hayate’s actions.

Kind of hard to be worried about other people when you were fearing for your own life. If you didn’t have experience with it at least.

“I know, that was really rude of me and it won’t happen again, I promise. And chibi-chan… wanted to make a statement.” he settled on answering. That much wasn’t difficult to see after all. It had also been pretty clear who it had been aimed towards, seeing as afterwards three students had fled by _crashing through the windows_. But the exact why was a little more tricky to figure out.

Maybe because they were from outer Districts? He was pretty sure they were anyway, they’d had that unusually hidden energy. Though the degree had varied from person to person.

“Oooh, she’s establishing boundaries.” Kushina said with a look of complete understanding. Really?

_See, amazingly helpful_

“And what do you mean by that?” he asked Kushina, ignoring Hiraishin. His spirit send a wave of disapproval in return. Hiraishin was still mostly a bundle of bliss though.

Kushina had that effect on the both of them.

“Exactly what I said. Establishing boundaries is a thing people from outer Districts do, they pick out the biggest threats and make it clear they won’t be easy prey. The how changes, but this always happens when lessons begin. And again after classes get rearranged at the end of the month.” Kushina answered with a grin, her fingers gently scratching the back of his neck.

Minato valiantly resisted the urge to let his mind shut down with rapture.

“And you know this how?” he asked instead, trying not to think too deeply about all the implications behind that declaration. Because Minato understood that chibi-chan, and Hayate as well he supposed, acted like paranoid Shinigami taken up to eleven. He understood what kind of things would cause that, knew he had to watch his every move whenever he was around chibi-chan, knew it would be so easy to chase her away forever. So easy to break the barest sliver of trust she’d extended towards him.

Which he’d gained by stalking her and forcing her to endure his company.

_Oh not this again_

Minato thought this was _excellent_ advice. Because those thoughts led to _why_ chibi-chan was _always_ terrified of him no matter what he did and...

Monumentally stupid. And treacherous. And doomed to fail.

_I’m keeping quiet only because I don’t want you to start angsting like a moody brat. Just so you know_

_You say the sweetest things._

“Because I did a stint as a teacher on the Rukongai track eight decades ago and had the great fortune of having Yuugao show me the ropes.” Kushina said as though that explained things.

“You mean Yuugao-sensei? I mean, my teacher for Zanjutsu has that name. She’s a young– young looking woman with purple hair and gray eyes.” Rin asked, expression becoming a little curious.

She was _much_ calmer than before, a true relief to see. Though the calmth was still too brittle for his liking.

“That’s her. She’s in my squad, likes teaching, signs up every term. Though I’m pretty sure she’s doing advanced Zanjutsu and Hakuda this time, so pay close attention, you might only have her for a month. And she’s an amazing teacher.” Kushina answered.

“She hit Kouga-chan so hard her entire cheek was a massive bruise for a full day.” Rin shot back with suddenly narrowed eyes, a tension present that hadn’t been there before. Minato hid his grin on Kushina’s shoulder, nuzzling the soft strands tickling his nose.

That was what he liked most about Rin. She was just so adorably protective of all her friends.

It was adorable because it was genuine.

Though he supposed that right now was probably not the best time to tell her that if Yuuga had hit Rin as hard as she had chibi-chan, she would’ve broken her teeth and dislocated her jaw. At the very least.

“Like I said, amazing teacher.” Kushina repeated in an amused and charmed voice. Minato expected her to lean forward and pinch Rin’s cheeks any moment now. “So what happened after you released your Reiatsu? Did anyone faint?” Kushina continued and Minato felt a grimace grow. Not in the least because Rin flinched violently, shoulders hunching, a hand coming up to touch her throat in an unconscious movement.

Minato was impressed she’d been aware enough to realize that’s where Hayate had been aiming. Especially because to Rin everything had happened impossibly fast. Most of him just felt compassion. Yes, near death experiences were something she’d have to learn to deal with if she wanted to become a Shinigami. But again, this was Rin’s third _day_.

Not to mention there was the fact that she’d been attacked by Hayate specifically. Even though Minato had never met him before today, he’d talked to Obito and Rin enough to know they considered Hayate as close a friend as they did chibi-chan. So aside from dealing with a near death experience, Rin was also struggling with feelings of betrayal. And the fact that Hayate’s attack had been an accident, didn’t make that betrayal any less real to her.

This was why Rin _really_ needed help right now.

Kushina picked up on the change in atmosphere of course, shifting her balance slightly. Not in a teasing way, just an instinctive shift to a more comfortable position to maneuver from. Not that she was planning on attacking Rin of course, it was just a reaction to the rising tension.

“No one fainted.” he began, keeping his voice calm. “But it wasn’t just chibi-chan and Rin who were there, Hayate was as well and–”

“You finally met him? What– no, wait, continue.” Kushina said, visibly reigning in her curiosity.

“And when I released my Reiatsu, Hayate had a mental breakdown.” Minato continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted, carefully keeping a grimace off his face as he thought back to what had happened. “Rin went over to him afterwards and Hayate accidentally attacked her.” he concluded in a deliberately normal voice. This time he did grimace as Rin closed her eyes and shivered brutally, touching her throat again.

Kushina, being the wonderful woman she was, understood all the things left unsaid, eyes widening with comprehension. She turned her gaze back towards Rin, showing true compassion.

“Wow, you must be terrified.” she stated perfectly matter of fact, making Rin snap her eyes open in order to give her an incredulous look. Minato briefly closed his eyes.

This was what he’d been afraid of.

“Kushina–” he began, but she simply ignored the plea and continued talking.

“I mean, I’m assuming it was lethal because of the way you’re reacting, but if it was? Yeah, terrified. Was it lethal by the way? Or well, potentially lethal?” Kushina asked that last with a curious expression.

Minato sighed softly as Rin let out a bark of hysterical laughter, before she quickly smothered the sound with a raised hand.

“He would’ve… Hayate would’ve _beheaded_ me.” she said in a trembling voice that broke near the end. And Minato was horrified to see her eyes becoming glassy again. It had taken hugs, soothing nonsense, and three shots of something strong before he’d gotten Rin to calm down, and with just a few words, Kushina had undone all that work.

_No she hasn’t. This is going to be fine, you’ll see_

In this particular case, Minato disagreed. Strongly. But it’s not like that would matter to Hiraishin, his spirit was biased when it came to Kushina.

_And you aren’t?_

Of course he was. But unlike Hiraishin, Minato recognized that not everyone saw Kushina the same way he did.

_Some people have no taste_

Minato ignored Hiraishin’s statement. Even though he maybe agreed with it. A little. But only a little.

Hiraishin radiated approval in return.

Meanwhile, Kushina let out a low whistle, brows shooting up, genuinely impressed.

“He used his _Asauchi?_ You’re so lucky Minato was there.” she said, undoing more of Minato’s work. So he poked her in the ribs with a jolt of energy, warning her to watch her words.

Kushina ignored it completely.

“No wait, there were teachers present too, right? So you would’ve survived even without him there.” she concluded with a pleased nod.

Rin let out a huff that was more of a sob, lips twisting in a mockery of a smile, the calmth from before completely gone.

“Actually, it was Kouga-chan who pulled me out of the way.” she said, before letting out a very disturbing chuckle. “And then she said she’d make sure Hayate wouldn’t hurt me _when it happens again_.”

Minato grimaced. While he understood the intent behind that statement and approved greatly, it was also true that chibi-chan was _awful_ at reassuring people. Even having only seen her do it twice was more than enough to make that clear.

“That’s nice of her. You’re lucky to have a friend like that.” Kushina’s honest statement made Minato let out another soft sigh. Sometimes Kushina was also awful at reassuring people.

_No she isn’t_

She was, though. Kushina was one of those people born, figuratively speaking, to be a Shinigami. And Shinigami in general tended to deal with accidents like this in a much more… casual fashion than civilians.

It was easy to forget they’d all been like Rin once.

Well. Sort of. Minato for one, had been controlling his energy since early childhood. That changed things. A lot.

Rin looked hysterically amused, seemingly torn between laughter or crying. For a moment, Minato wondered whether that third shot had been one too much.

“Such nice friends. Kouga-chan broke my leg and Hayate almost _beheaded_ me. What would I do without them.” she said, Minato not liking her rising panic _at all_. Also, chibi-chan had broken her leg? When had that happened? And why?

But now was not the time to ask.

“Rin, take a deep breath. You’re safe.” he told her, firm yet gentle, deliberately pushing some of his energy against hers to make sure he had her full attention. Just because Rin couldn’t control hers yet didn’t mean she couldn’t sense things after all. Even if she didn’t consciously understand what she was feeling.

He also immediately slapped a hand across Kushina’s mouth as she opened it. Minato just knew she was about to say something along the lines of _sure, she’s safe now, but she won’t be after you drop her back off at the Academy._

_She’d only be telling the truth_

There was a difference between telling the truth and making someone panic. Besides, Rin wouldn’t be in true danger. Firstly, chibi-chan had said she’d protect her. Secondly, Minato very much doubted this was a situation that would happen often, it was only his own presence which had triggered the entire mess in the first place. Thirdly, Rin would learn to defend herself soon enough anyway. And finally, the teachers would interfere if it did happen again. They had this time as well.

_All that doesn’t change the potential danger she’s in right now_

Minato ignored Hiraishin and his spirit’s following disapproval, carefully watching Rin as she closed her eyes and did indeed take deep, calming breaths. He ignored Kushina as well when she playfully licked his hand with an amused expression, giving her a warning look before slowly releasing his grip. She gave him a bright grin in return, clearly finding this entire situation hilarious. Of course she did.

“Rin, look at me.” he continued in a firm voice as he returned his full vision towards her, waiting until Rin did. He held her gaze, gently entangling some of his energy through hers, letting her feel his sincerity. “You’re not in any danger. This was an accident. Yes, it could’ve ended horribly but it _didn’t_. And if this happens again, it _won’t_ end horribly either.”

“He’s right, the odds of you dieing in your first year are _incredibly_ small. And besides, you’ll be able to properly defend yourself in about six months or so.” Kushina cheerfully informed her. Minato sighed.

He loved Kushina, he really did. But did she have to do this right now?

_Yes she does_

Minato once again ignored Hiraishin’s statement and the following disapproval. Meanwhile, Kushina chuckled and gently scratched the back of his neck, making Minato want to melt– _no_. This was not the time.

Shaking his head to make her stop doing that, Minato decided to switch tactics and gave her his best pleading look instead, wordlessly begging her to stop playing around.

It made Kushina’s entire countenance soften, a small and simply breathtaking smile aimed his way.

“That’s _not_ reassuring. At all.” Rin stated with a pained grimace, drawing their attention again as she once more brought up a hand to touch her throat. Kushina chuckled in return. But her expression was genuinely compassionate as she looked towards Rin.

“Look, the truth is, you’re going to have to learn to deal with this.” she said in another matter of fact voice, Minato preparing to cut her off-

_No wait, let her finish_

For one brief moment, Minato considered ignoring Hiraishin again. Then he resigned himself to what was about to happen.

_How very melodramatic_

_Says the eternal critic._

“I mean, this is a little different than usual, but if you’re going to be a Shinigami, you’re going to encounter a _lot_ of situations like this. Situations where you barely escape death. If you can’t deal with that, you won’t make it through the Academy.” Kushina continued.

Minato was relieved. That, while blunt, was a lot better than he’d been expecting. It was also completely true.

But this was Rin’s third _day_.

Rin looked torn, wavering between what seemed to be another hysterical outburst or exhausted resignation. Minato mentally held his breath, anxiously waiting to see which way the dice would roll.

Finally, Rin let out a deep sigh, slumping down her seat, tired and weary.

“I know that, I do.” she said softly. Then she lifted her head, giving them a so very hurt look. “But it was _Hayate_.” Immediately after saying so, Rin bit down on her lip, a hand coming up to wipe away the moisture filling her eyes again.

Minato kept his own expression compassionate, not showing his relief, fearing that would send the wrong message. This, while still serious, was something he felt he could handle. Though he supposed he should’ve had this conversation with her sooner. A lot sooner. And with Obito as well for that matter.

_That’s as much my fault as it is yours. I hadn’t thought to point the need for it out either_

_How magnanimous of you to share the blame._

“Well yeah, comes with being from an outer District. If you can’t deal with that, you should stop hanging out with him.” Kushina said and Minato allowed himself another grimace.

Not helping Kushina.

_Will you stop with the complaining already? Unlike you, our love is actually informing brat two about things she_ **_really_ ** _ needs to know _

And doing so in the bluntest way possible. What if this made Rin avoid Hayate? Minato had been told enough to know Hayate was chibi-chan’s best friend. If Rin made her choose, chibi-chan would pick Hayate. And Obito would pick Rin.

Chibi-chan would lose two friends.

She only had three.

_If that happens, it happens. You can’t force people to choose what you want them to. Not to mention that, again, it wouldn’t be fair not to inform brat two of the truth. For that matter, it wouldn’t be fair to your stray for you to manipulate brat two into remaining her friend if she doesn’t want to be. Same for brat one_

Sometimes Minato hated how his spirit pointed out truths he didn’t really want to admit.

_No you don’t_

No he didn’t. But occasionally it felt nice to think so.

Rin let out a harsh breath, expression twisting in sheer incredulity.

“That’s it? Just… _accept_ that Hayate could _kill_ me whenever he freaks out?” By the end of her statement she was scowling furiously, anger rising.

“ _No_.” Minato immediately intervened. “You don’t simply accept it. You talk to Hayate about what happened, about how this made you feel, and then you _both_ decide on where to go from there.”

Minato might not like it but Hiraishin was right. If Rin didn’t want to be Hayate’s friend anymore, that was her choice. But she and Hayate should at the very least talk about this first.

Rin gave him a long look, showing a whirlwind of emotions. Finally, she let out another harsh breath, closing her eyes, slumping down her chair, looking so very tired.

She squared her shoulders, opened her eyes and lifted her chin, radiating determination.

“You’re right. I need to talk to Hayate about this.” she declared.

Minato smiled. Now that was an encouraging reaction to see.

“Fantastic! Okay, in that case, you’ll need to know a few things about people from outer Districts. Stop me if I’m telling you something you already know, but if you don’t, listen carefully, this is really important. First, the guy is _not_ going to understand what he did wrong, he didn’t kill or even hurt you after all. He won’t get why you’re upset by this either, because again, he didn’t hurt you. Physically I mean. Second, if you start talking about how to avoid situations like this and he tells you things like always staying a few feet away at all times, for the love of all that is holy, _listen_. Whatever you do, _don’t_ assume he’s exaggerating about things like that because trust me, he’s not. Third, you should–”

Minato gave Kushina a fond look as she kept rattling off advice to an overwhelmed looking Rin. He’d step in and clarify a few points after she stopped to take a breath.

But this time, Kushina really was being helpful. This was all solid advice.

_Of course it is. This is our love we’re talking about_

Hiraishin’s blissful statement made his smile grow, just a little. And as he watched Rin shift from overwhelmed to determined once more, Minato felt himself truly relax since this entire mess has begun.

For the first time, he felt truly confident that everything was going to turn out alright after all.

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](https://loekas.tumblr.com/)


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